Entangled Lives
by Catindahat
Summary: AU – Arthur finally takes the chance to find Emyrs who is supposed to help him rule Camelot and was taken from the castle as a child. Could Merlin be the warlock Arthur is looking for or just an idiot intent on driving him crazy?
1. Chapter 1

I'm finally back with a new story! This is going to be **slash **so if you don't like it please don't read. Anyway I've been reading a lot of Merlin/Arthur fics based on fairy tales so I thought I'd give it a go. This is and AU based on Rapunzel, well actually it's based on the Disney film Tangled which is based on Rapunzel but it's the same difference. Anyway it's going to have a very Camelot twist to it so by the time I've finished may not have much of a resemblance to the fairytale anymore but we'll see where it takes us. Any of you who have read my fics before will know that I suck at updating regularly however I have made sure that I already have quite a few chapters done before I started posting so I shouldn't leave you hanging. I'm planning on updating once a week but we'll see how things goes.

Anyway I'll stop with the waffle now and let you get on with reading it. I hope you enjoy it and I would love to know what people think.

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Arthur wondered aimlessly through the castle, lost in his thoughts. He found his feet following the route he had taken so many times in the past. Pushing the door open he found himself in the portrait room. He stood at one end of the long thin room and stared at the vast array of paintings on the wall. His whole family history was mapped out in here. At the end where he was stood were portraits of the first kings and queens of Camelot. As he moved down the room the portraits became more recent. He stared up at the familiar pictures, spotting the family resemblances.

Reaching the far end of the room he stopped in front of the portrait of his family. His mother and father stood side by side, Arthur cradled in his mother's arms. He smiled up at his mother's familiar face. Although he had only been a few months old when she died he had been visiting this room for as long as he could remember and her beautiful face framed by the blonde hair the exact same shade as his was imprinted in his brain. He glanced at the much younger version of his father and sighed at the happy, carefree expression he wore in the picture. It had been a long time since Arthur had seen him look like that.

The prince turned his attention to the smaller family portrait that was next to his. This painting, along with his mothers, was the reason he had spent so much time in here over the years. He smiled sadly as he took in the familiar faces of Hunith and Balinor. They were seated close together on a small couch that he recognised from their rooms. Balinor had one arm draped around Hunith's shoulders and the other ruffled the hair of the child on her lap. Arthur stared at the tiny almost one year old. His messy raven hair stuck up in all directions and his vibrant blue eyes stared at Arthur from the picture.

Arthur sighed. The boy had been taken from the castle on the day of his first birthday, soon after the portrait had been finished, and this was the only memory he had of the boy. Arthur himself had been almost three when the boy was taken but he didn't remember anything of the blue eyed boy. He had grown up seeing Balinor and Hunith morning the loss of their son, praying that one day he would return to them. Every year on his birthday sorcerers from all over the land would journey to Camelot and, on the stroke of midnight, they would each send a ball of light into the air and pray that one day he would see them and come home.

Although Arthur knew of the torment Hunith and Balinor went through every day of their life that wasn't the reason he came to this room to stare at the picture. He had heard the prophecies that had been made since his birth his whole life. Heard the stories of the sorcerer Emrys who would stand by his side and help him make Camelot into the greatest kingdom in the whole land. The prophecies had predicted the day that the famed Emrys would be born and, on that day, Hunith had given birth to a healthy baby boy. A baby boy who was moving objects with magic when he was barely six months old.

Though Hunith had refused to call her son Emrys, not wanting to risk the prophecy being wrong, the whole kingdom had been convinced that Arthur and Emrys would grow to be the greatest duo the kingdom had ever seen. Instead the boy had been given another name. A name that hadn't been mentioned within the castle walls since his disappearance eighteen years ago. Arthur understood that any mention of the boys name upset Hunith greatly; he didn't understand why no one called him by his real name when they weren't in his presence. In fact Arthur wasn't even sure he could remember the name it had been so long since someone had spoken it; he was sure it began with M though.

But then on that fateful day everything had changed. The boy had been taken from the castle, right under all their noses. No one had seen anything or knew who had taken him or where they had gone. Ever since that day his father, Hunith and Balinor had been searching everywhere for some sign of him but there had been no word.

"Arthur?"

Arthur turned to see his father behind him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard him enter the room. Arthur was surprised to see the king there; he knew how much it pained him to see the picture of his lost wife.

"I thought I would find you here." Uther said with a fond smile.

He turned his gaze upon the two paintings that Arthur had been looking at and sighed. He knew the amount of time his son spent in here and it worried him. It wasn't that it was affecting his duties or responsibilities, it was that he was worried about the unhealthy amount of time that Arthur spend dwelling on Emrys.

"I want to go find him." Arthur announced.

Uther sighed, over the years they had had this conversation may times and his answer still wasn't going to change.

"You can't Arthur, the risk is too great." Uther repeated the words he had told his son so many times over the years.

"Yet you send the knights out to find him all the time. You know that I am a better fighter than any of them. I can look after myself." Arthur reasoned.

"Arthur you are the crown prince of Camelot, your life is worth more than theirs." Uther replied wearily.

"Father you know the prophecies as well as I do. He has to be found otherwise what is the point of me becoming king?"

"Arthur you will be king whether Emrys returns to us or not. You have to focus on that rather than the lost boy. The knight's will find him, you'll see."

"And what if they don't?" Arthur asked morosely, "What if I can't be a good king without him?"

Uther sighed as he realised he had found the real root of Arthur's obsession. It pained him that his son had grown up with everyone having such great expectations of him. What made it worse was that he had been told that he couldn't do these things without Emrys.

"Whether Emrys is found or not will make no difference." Uther said truthfully, "Arthur you will be a great king. No matter what happens to anyone else or what anyone says it is your decisions and actions as that will dictate what kind of king you will be. I know that you will make me proud."

Arthur stared at his father shocked. It was not often that he heard praise or approval from his father and to hear it now made him swell with pride. He smiled as Uther clasped him on the shoulder and exited the room. Turning back to the portrait of Emrys Arthur thought over his father's words. He was right; it was Arthur's actions that would decide how his future would turn out. So he was going to take action now; he was going to find Emrys and bring him home.

x-x-x

Merlin sighed and flopped down onto his bed. He was bored...again. Well that was unfair, he thought, he wasn't often bored. Normally he had lots to do. He had to clean, and that in itself often took up most of the day, and continue his studies and make sure that dinner was ready for when his mother returned. And then it wasn't like he didn't have other things to do once his chores were done. But, well once he'd read all his mother's books they weren't quite the same the second time round. And there were only so many times he could practice the spells his mother was teaching him.

But today he had cheated. He had used his magic to help him clean the tower. He had just wanted to see if he could. His mother only taught him a certain amount of spells and he had learnt over the years that he was quite capable of making up his own. After a few false starts and mishaps he had discovered it was much easier than he thought and he had had everything clean in no time. Though he never told his mother about his spell inventions, she had been so mad when he tried to show her that he could make a ball of light like the ones he had seen in the sky.

Merlin shot bolt upright as he remembered the lights in the sky. He got up and moved over to the window. Throwing it open he stared out across the trees towards the castle he could see in distance. For as long as he could remember he had been staring out of this window at the castle. And every year on his birthday, as it turned midnight, blue lights had been rising from the castle. He didn't understand what they were. He had originally thought they were some sort of star, he had seen meteor showers and shootings stars, but they had always been coming down to earth not rising into the sky like the lights did.

Moving back into his room Merlin pushed back the cloth that covered the marks he had made on the wall. Counting them he realised that it was only three days until his birthday and he could see the lights again. But this year he didn't just want to watch them from the window in the tower, he wanted to see them up close. He wanted to go to the castle and find the source of the strange lights and watch them rise up into the sky.

Back in the main room Merlin slumped into a chair, planning how best to present his request. He had had this discussion with his mother before and it had never ended well. However he had a feeling this year would be different, if only he could work up the courage to ask his mother.

Merlin felt something brush against his legs and bent down to pick up the tiny black cat. Settling her down on his lap he began to stroke her gently. When he had first found her he had thought that she was only a kitten because of her size. But that had been five years ago and she hadn't grown any bigger since. Though that did make it useful when she had to hide from his mother. It wasn't that Merlin thought she wouldn't like his new friend but he was afraid that she might send the little cat away and then he would be stuck all alone in the tower again.

"This is the year Freya." He whispered to her softly, "This is the year when I'm finally going to see the lights, I can feel it."

Freya mewed in agreement as she curled up on his lap. Glancing out the window and the slowly falling sun Merlin knew that his mother would be home soon. He just prayed he'd have enough strength to ask her. She must realise that he was going to be nineteen, he wasn't a little kid anymore, he would be able to take care of himself. Merlin understood full well why his mother kept him safe up in the tower away from everyone. He knew she was just protecting him from the dangers that were out there waiting to hurt him. She had told him often enough of the things that people had tried to make him do when he was younger, the things that they would do to get their hands on his precious gifts. He sighed, maybe he should show her all the things he had learnt to do with them; maybe that would help persuade her.

"Merlin darling! Help your mother up!"

Merlin jumped up from the chair in excitement, dislodging Freya in the process. She mewed at him disgruntled and he bent down to stroke her soothingly.

"Sorry." He whispered to her, "You'd better go hide now before she gets up here."

Freya mewed at him, questioningly.

"I will ask her, don't worry." Merlin said with a goofy smile.

"Merlin!" Came his mother's shout again.

"Coming mother." He called to her.

Hurrying over to the window he had been staring out of earlier he glanced down to see the beautiful raven haired women below him. He looked up, focusing on the pulley that was attached to the wall above the large window. Concentrating he focused his magic on it.

"_R__í__ce __æ__t__í__ewan b__é__ting_."

Merlin's eyes flashed gold as he spoke the words and a rope appeared from the pulley. Glancing down he saw that it fell all the way to the ground. His mother grabbed hold of one end of it and Merlin grabbed the other. Wrapping the rope around his hand a couple of times Merlin spoke again.

"_Hefe __á__dw__ínan_."

He felt the weight or the other end of the rope disappear as he made his mother weightless enough for him to pull up. After a couple of minutes of pulling, aided by his magic, his mother stepped through the window and into the tower.

"Thank you my dear." Nimueh said with a smile, "I don't know how you manage to pull me up like that every day. My magic is always too tired to do it myself by the end of the day."

"It's nothing." Merlin said, smiling warmly back at her, "It's not like I have much use for it up here."

"When then maybe you're not practicing your spells enough." She replied, patting him on the cheek.

Merlin frowned slightly at the comment but quickly shook his head, brushing past it. A quick flash of his eyes had the rope behind him disappearing again and he moved over to where his mother had just taken the chair he had vacated.

"Mother there was something really important I wanted to talk to you about." Merlin began.

"Not now dear, I'm feeling awfully tired. Why don't you cast the spell for me now?"

Merlin sighed and sank to his knees by the chair. He knew that there would be no chance of them having the conversation until he had helped his mother. Glancing at her Merlin could see the grey streaks in her normally jet black hair and the small wrinkles that had appeared on her face.

He took her hand with one of his and pulled the chain around his neck lose with the other. On the end of the gold chain hung a glass star. Merlin wrapped his free hand around the star and closed his eyes.

"_Ágíeman se__sceþne. Edhwierft se æfterield_."

Merlin felt the power flowing through him into the glass and then into his mother. Nimueh sighed and Merlin opened his eyes, which were blazing gold, to see the grey streaks return to their original black and her wrinkles smooth away. Once the spell was done Merlin realised his mother and slumped slightly, weariness spreading through his bones. The spell had always taken a lot out of him but it seemed like every time he cast the spell it took a little bit more magic to complete it.

He looked up and saw his mother's pleased smile and he knew that he would continue to cast the spell every day, no matter how much it took out of him. For he loved his mother and would do anything to make sure she was happy and healthy.

Tucking the necklace back under his shirt to keep the charm safe Merlin pulled himself to his feet and stood in front of his mother. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. Merlin hesitated, unsure of how to broach the subject of the lights. He caught a glimpse of Freya out of the corner of his eye and she gave him confidence.

"Mother you know it is my birthday soon." He began.

"Of course. And you have grown up so fast my boy." She stood up and cupped his cheeks with her hands, "Don't you worry I haven't forgotten, I've been planning something very special."

Seemingly satisfied that this was all Merlin was worried about Nimueh dropped a kiss onto the top of his head and moved off towards the kitchen.

"That's not just it." Merlin said as he hurried after, "I know you have something planned but I thought of something I really want for my birthday."

Nimueh glanced up at this.

"But dear if you tell me what to get you for your birthday it won't be a surprise." She said with a patronising smile.

"I know." Merlin said quietly, "But I was hoping that...well maybe this year...I really wanted to..."

"Spit it out Merlin." Nimueh sighed.

"I really want to go see the flying lights." Merlin blurted out quickly.

Nimueh froze at his words. She stared at him as he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, waiting for her response. Eventually she recovered from the shock and spoke.

"You want to see what?" She asked slowly.

"The flying lights." Merlin repeated eagerly.

The fact that she hadn't said no straight away boosted his confidence and he hurried over to the fireplace. Crouching down in front of the flames he whispered a quick spell. It was a simple one that his mother had taught him when he was younger and it came easily to him now. The moment his eyes flashed gold a picture started to form in the flames. The castle appeared except it was night in his picture and blue lights were floating from the castle and up into the sky.

He turned to face Nimueh who was watching him warily, ignoring his picture. She took in the hopeful look on his face and rolled her eyes. With a wave of her hand and a flash of her eyes the picture in the fire disappeared. She turned away from Merlin.

"I've told you before their just stars or meteors." She replied dismissively, "They look exactly the same here as they do in the castle. It just looks like that's where they're coming from because we're so far away."

"But they're not stars." Merlin tried to explain, "I've studied the stars and these lights are nothing like them. They only appear once a year on my birthday and they go up not down. I'm sure they're coming from the castle and I was just hoping that maybe this year you would take me to see them.

"Merlin we've had this discussion before." Nimueh said as she turned back to him, "It's too dangerous for you to leave to tower. You know that there are people out there who would do anything to use your healing powers including hurting you and making you use it so much that you make yourself sick."

"I know. But if you went with me then I know we would be safe." Merlin pleaded, "Please I just want to see them once and then we could come straight back."

"No Merlin." Nimueh snapped.

Merlin recoiled at the tone of her voice and his eyes widened fearfully. Nimueh sighed and moved over to envelope him in a hug.

"You know I only have your best interests at heart and I want you to stay safe. You don't remember the terrible things that people did to you when you were young. I just want to keep that from happening again." She sighed, "Promise me that you'll drop this and just wait to see the surprise I have for you."

Merlin felt all the fight drain out of him as she spoke. He knew that she was just trying to protect him and keep him safe but it didn't stop the longing that he felt every time he thought of the flying lights.

"Merlin?" Nimueh prompted.

"I promise." He said with a sighed.

"Good boy." Nimueh said, pulling back with a sigh, "Now go wash up for dinner."

Merlin nodded and turned away. Although his mother had said no Merlin wasn't going to give up. He had a feeling that this year he was going to see the lights up close and he was going to make sure that happened, no matter what it took.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for the amazing number of alerts and favourates and extra special thanks to those of you who reviewed! This chapter is all Arthur I'm afraid but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Merlin. I would love to know what you all think, enjoy. x

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"Morgana!" Arthur called as he hurried down the stairs.

The raven haired women turned round and smiled at the blonde. Arthur skidded to a halt in front of her.

"Arthur, what can I do for you today?" She asked.

"I need your help."

He sighed as he saw her eyebrows raise and a mischievous smile cross her face. He knew that asking for her help was a risk as she would never let him live it down. However there was no way he was going to get out of the castle without his father noticing let alone find Emrys without her and her sister Morgause's help. Although he and Morgana were close, practically siblings themselves, he had never felt the same connection with Morgause and, if he was honest, he was kind of scared of her. She had this air about her that made him want to run for his life.

"Are you feeling okay Arthur?" Morgana teased, "Because I could have sworn that you just asked for my help."

" I did, please don't make this any worse than it already is." Arthur replied with a smile.

"Well what is it that you need." Morgana asked, barely restraining the smug smile that was crossing her face.

"I want to go find Emrys."

That wiped the smile of her face and she stared at him shocked. Of all the things she had been expecting him to ask, that wasn't one of them.

"You want to what?" She asked, needing to hear him clarify it.

"I want to find Emrys." He repeated simply.

"Arthur, looking for Emrys is no easy task. It's dangerous; people have died on the hunt for him."

"Aw Morgana, I didn't know you cared." Arthur teased with a smirk.

"I don't." She said quickly, glaring at him, "But every knight and sorcerer in the whole of Camelot has searched for him at some point and none of them have found him. What makes you think you can do any better?"

"Because I am the best knight Camelot has. And besides, none of them had you and Morgause helping them." Arthur said with his best smile.

"Flattery will get you nowhere Pendragon." Morgana said sternly but Arthur could see she was smiling, "What makes you think we'll help you?"

"Because it will give you a chance to get out of the castle. I know you're always complaining about how you're stuck here." Arthur reasoned.

He saw that Morgana didn't seem to be persuaded and tried a different tact.

"Morgana I have spent my whole life being told how Emrys will help me become this great king yet I'm the only one that's not allowed to go out and look for him. He's supposed to be a huge part of my future; I think I should be allowed to help bring him home."

Arthur saw Morgana's resolve crumble before him as his words hit home. There was a moment where he practically saw the internal battle going on within Morgana before she sighed.

"Fine I'll help you." She conceded, "Though I can't speak for Morgause."

"Thank you." Arthur said.

The sincerity in his voice shocked Morgana more than anything else he'd said. She knew that over the years Arthur had grown unnaturally attached to the portrait of Emrys but she never thought that he would be practically begging her to help him find him. Arthur never asked her for anything.

"Go get ready. I'll talk to Morgause and meet you in your chambers."

Arthur smiled at her and headed off down the corridor. Morgana rolled her eyes at him. Sometimes he was way too easy to please. Turning away from him she pulled her hood up and headed towards where she knew Morgause would be. She had originally thought that Arthur's request was going to ruin their plans but she realised now that maybe they could use it to their advantage.

x-x-x

"The prince wants our help to find Emrys?" Morgause asked her sister.

"That's what he said." Morgana replied, "He's so attached to that picture I think he's convinced himself that he knows the boy."

Morgana watched as her sister mulled this over. She had filled her in on the conversation she'd had with Arthur and was waiting to hear her verdict.

"I said I'd help him but this is going to ruin all our plans. There's no way we're going to be able to dispose of Emrys without Arthur noticing." Morgana sighed.

"This could work to our advantage." The older woman said slowly.

Morgana frowned in confusion. She didn't see how this could help them. Their plan had been to sneak out the castle and hunt for Emrys alone so that they could easily destroy him and prevent the prophecies from coming true without anyone even knowing it was them. Morgause had been trying to track the boy for so long.

"The amulet in the vaults, the one that will lead us to Emrys. The prince has much better access to it than we do." Morgause replied with a smile.

At her words a smile appear on Morgana's face as well. She had forgotten about the amulet. It was foretold that it could lead the bearer to Emrys and was their ticket to the lost warlock. However it was sealed in the vaults below the castle and only the king and the prince had a key to it. Morgause's plan had been for Morgana to steal the key from Arthur's room whilst he was distracted with training. She was in and out of Arthur's room all the time so it wouldn't look suspicious if she claimed she was looking for the prince.

"It looks like we won't need to break in after all." Morgana said with a smile, "Arthur is desperate enough to take it from under his father's nose, it won't take much persuasion. As soon as he has it we can take it from him and be on our way."

"We will have to take him with us though." Morgause contradicted.

"Why? We only need him to get the amulet."

"If the prince dies under suspicious circumstances in the castle there will be a manhunt as Uther tries to find whoever killed his son. But if he dies in the woods somewhere looking for Emrys no one will even think twice that it was an accident." Morgause explained, "With both him and Emrys out of the way there will be no one to stop us taking the throne."

An evil smile crossed Morgana's face at Morgause's words. They had been planning for years how to rid the kingdom of Uther Pendragon and his son so they could take control. And now it seemed that Arthur was playing right into their hands.

"If Arthur uses the amulet then he will be the one to suffer its curse." Morgana added with a smirk.

Morgause opened her mouth to speak but Morgana cut her off.

"I know you say that the curse isn't real but if it is we now have all our bases covered. Anyway Uther believes in the curse, so much so that he won't even let his knights near the amulet. It will be easy for him to believe that his son fell afoul of it in his desperation to find Emrys."

A proud smile crossed the blonde's face at her sister's words. There had been a point when she had thought that loyalty to the Pendragons that had raised her would prevent her from fully committing to the plan. But it seemed that the promise of power and control was enough for the girl who had spent her life with everyone telling her what to do.

"Go tell the prince what he has to do. I will meet the pair of you out the front with the horses once you have retrieved it." Morgause instructed.

x-x-x

"If there is an amulet in the vaults that will lead the user to Emrys why hasn't father used before?" Arthur asked Morgana.

He had listened whilst Morgana had explained the plan to him but he didn't understand why his father hadn't used it before if it was that easy. He knew there was something Morgana wasn't telling him but he couldn't tell what it was.

"It will only work in your hands." Morgana improvised, "Your destiny binds the two of you together, the amulet is just the vessel to make the link visible. I presume your father has never used it before because he didn't want to risk your life searching for Emrys. I know as well as you do how many times he has refused to let you go."

Arthur frowned. That did make sense. Every time he had broached the subject of the missing warlock with his father the elder man had refused point blank to even let him accompany a search party let alone lead one on his own.

The blonde had made his decision and he moved over to the locked draw where he kept the key to the vault. Unlocking it he pulled out the key and tuned to Morgana.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go."

x-x-x

Arthur signalled for Morgana to stop as he spotted the two guards assigned to guard the entrance to the vaults. They were both leaning against the wall and looking bored out their minds. Arthur smiled to himself. Their boredom would make them less attentive and his task much easier. He made a mental note to improve security when he got back. It wouldn't do to have someone hostile take the same advantages he was.

"I'll keep them busy, you grab the amulet." Morgana instructed, "You know what it looks like?"

"Of course Morgana, you've told me about a hundred times already." Arthur replied, rolling his eyes.

Morgana ignored the patronising tone in his voice and focused on the guards. Holding out one hand she whispered a swift spell.

"_Swefecung_."

Instantly the two guards slumped on the ground, fast asleep.

"You better hurry; I can't keep this up for too long." Morgana muttered.

Arthur could hear the strain in her voice and knew that her magic wasn't exactly strong and it took her a lot of effort to maintain a spell. Hurrying past her and the guards he took the steps down to the vaults two at a time. Reaching the bottom he pulled out the key and unlocked the bars that were preventing him from entering the vault.

Stepping inside he could feel his heart pounding in his chest with excitement. Finally he was getting to do something to find the lost boy. His eyes roved over the artefacts that were spread throughout the room. He could practically feel the magic pouring off some of them and it sent shivers up his spine. However he pushed on, still not seeing the amulet he was looking for.

Eventually Arthur's gaze landed on a small plinth to his left. On top of it lay a crystal. He moved towards it, his eyes fixed on his goal. He reached it and stared down at the crystal, anticipation flooding through him. This was it, the amulet that would lead him to Emrys and his destiny.

Slowly he reached out and picked up the crystal. His fingers wrapped around it and he raised it carefully, fearful of alarms or extra traps. However it came away easily and Arthur didn't hear any alarms going off anywhere in the castle. He knew that he should turn around and leave, Morgana wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. However Arthur found himself gazing into the depths of the crystal. Suddenly he found images flashing in front of his eyes.

A mop of messy black hair, startling blue eyes flashing gold, a tall raven haired woman in a red dress staring down at him menacingly.

Arthur tore his gaze away from the crystal. He was reeling from the images that had been thrown into his brain. The raven haired woman looked familiar however he couldn't place her. For a moment he had thought it was Morgana but the woman was older than her and seemed to have an air of power and strength that he was sure Morgana would never have.

"Arthur hurry up! I can't hold them much longer!"

Morgana's cry cut through his thoughts and he quickly placed the crystal in his satchel before hurrying up the stairs. At the top he found Morgana stood over the two guards. Her eyes were blazing gold and her brow was furrowed in concentration but Arthur could see that the guards were stirring.

"Let's go." He said, grabbing her arm.

Arthur pulled Morgana down the corridor and he heard the definite sounds of the two guards waking up. He prayed that they hadn't seen who it was that had knocked them out but whether they knew or not they were still following them. Arthur knew that the spell had taken more out of Morgana that she would care to admit and he was having to practically drag her through the castle. He just prayed that Morgause would be ready with the horses and that Morgana had enough energy to be able to ride.

They burst out to the castle just as the warning bells sounded. Arthur cursed their bad luck as they sprinted across the courtyard. But he soon spotted Morgause on the other side. She was sat upon her mount and had two ready for him and Morgana. Fortunately no one had thought it suspicious that Morgause was preparing to leave, she often disappeared for weeks at a time, and hadn't stopped her from preparing the horses. Not that Arthur thought she'd let anyone stop her once she had her mind set. He helped Morgana onto her horse before swinging himself into his saddle.

"You have it?" Morgause asked him.

Arthur nodded in confirmation and the three of them kicked their horses into action. He glanced over his shoulder to see the two guards running down the castle steps towards them accompanied by a group of knights. Arthur sighed, if they hadn't seen who had taken the amulet they would know now. He knew they didn't have much time before they had a group of knight's pursuing them and he urged his horse to go faster as they headed into the forest.

x-x-x

Uther paced backwards and forwards, waiting for news that the perpetrators had been caught. He couldn't believe that someone had been able to break into the vaults and escape unchallenged. He just prayed that Sir Leon and his knights would be able to catch them and recover what had been taken.

"Sit down Uther; you're wearing a hole in the flooring." Hunith scolded.

Uther turned to face the woman who was sat at the table in the centre of the room. Next to her sat her husband Balinor who was also watching him cautiously. The other man wasn't big on showing emotions but Uther could tell he was concerned as well.

The king sighed and sank into a chair next to his two friends. He saw the lines of worry on Hunith's open face and knew that she was dreading the ceremony that would occur in a couple of days to mark another year since her son went missing. His thoughts were interrupted as the doors opened and an elderly man entered.

"Gaius, what news?" Uther asked, standing up again.

"I'm afraid it's not good news sire." Gaius said slowly, "It appears that it was your son and the Lady Morgana that broke into the vault."

"Arthur? Why would Arthur break into the vaults?" Uther asked confused, Arthur had his own key and was able to enter the vaults as he pleased, he didn't need to break in.

"I believe he didn't want anyone to know that it was them." Gaius explained, "However they were pursued and spotted fleeing the castle with Morgause."

Uther sighed and rubbed his forehead in despair, wondering what on earth Arthur was up to this time.

"Have you been able to discover what was taken?" Uther asked.

"I have." Gaius answered gravely, "I believe that the prince has taken the Crystal of Neahtid."

Uther froze at Gaius' words. He knew exactly which crystal Gaius was referring to but he was praying that the older man was mistaken. There was no way that Arthur could know about the crystal. Uther didn't understand how he had found out about it let alone was able to take it unchallenged.

"Oh Arthur!" Hunith gasped, pressing her hands to her lips.

Balinor wrapped one arm around his wife's shoulders and allowed her to sob into his chest. They knew as well as Uther did what this could mean for the prince.

"Are you sure?" Balinor asked Gaius.

"Positive. I do not know how the prince discovered its existence but it is definitely the only thing missing."

"Morgause." Balinor said slowly.

Uther realised where Balinor was going with this line of thinking and slumped back into the chair.

"She knew of its existence, she was there when you placed it in the vault. She must have told Arthur and Morgana." Balinor continued.

"He was talking of finding your son again this morning." Uther admitted with a sigh, "But I thought I'd persuaded him against it. I didn't think he'd go to Morgana and Morgause for help."

"Arthur's gone to find him?" Hunith asked through her tears, "But we've told him of the dangers, he could get himself killed."

"I know." Uther sighed, "I told him that but you know how he gets when he's set his mind on something."

"Sire if he's taken the crystal then he intends to use it to find the boy." Gaius added, "And if he uses it he will awaken the curse."

Hunith's tears increased at Gaius's words. Uther knew that she loved Arthur as if he was her own son and he had helped ease the pain of the loss of her own child. He knew how hard losing Arthur was going to be on her, on all of them.

"How certain are you of this curse?" Uther asked Gaius.

"Very certain sire. Whoever activates the crystal is doomed to death." Gaius answered, "And I'm just as certain that Morgause knows this fact."


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry I know I'm a bit late with this one but I've had issues with my computer. But it's all fixed now so here is chapter three. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. Enjoy. x

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Arthur bent low against his horse, urging him to go faster. He could hear the group of knights that were chasing them close behind and knew it wouldn't be long till they caught them up. The prince glanced back at Morgana and Morgause and saw that they were still close behind. However the flashes of gold in Morgause's eyes told him that she was trying to counter whatever magical method their pursuers were trying to use to stop them.

Facing forward again Arthur took a sharp right, hoping to throw them off. They had been riding through the forest like this since they left and by this point Arthur wasn't one hundred percent sure of where they were. But the important thing was to lose their pursuers, they could work out where they were later.

Suddenly Arthur found himself clinging on for dear life as his horse reared, trying to throw him off. From what he could hear it sounded as if the two sisters were facing the same problem behind him. Arthur tightened his grip on the reigns and clenched his legs around the horse, but he wasn't able to hold on for long. He found himself being unceremoniously dumped on the floor as his horse reared once again before cantering off into the forest.

Swiftly the prince pulled himself up and glance round to see that Morgana had also been thrown onto the floor however Morgause seemed to have managed to remain on hers. Arthur quickly pulled Morgana up as Morgause spoke.

"Sorcery." She hissed frustrated, "You two run, I'll try and lead them away from you. We'll meet up later."

There was no time for discussion as the approaching hoof beats were getting closer. Morgause turned her horse and headed off to their left. Arthur knew that this meant they had to go right and he grabbed Morgana's hand, practically dragging her through the trees. The pair of them ran as fast as they could and for a moment Arthur thought they had lost their pursuers. However they soon heard the sound of horses heading their way and picked up their pace, trying to outrun them.

However it was obvious that they wouldn't be able to carry on like this forever. Morgana was already weak from the spell she had cast earlier and their spontaneous run hadn't helped. He could hear her panting heavily behind him but kept hold of her hand, pulling her along with him.

They soon bust out of the trees and into a small clearing. However they had to stop as they found their way blocked by a rock face that Arthur knew they would be unable to climb. In fact as he turned he discovered that they were surrounded on three sides by the rocks. He cursed their bad luck that they had hit a dead end and started to head back the way they had come from.

But Morgana pulled him back, the sound of hooves told them that they would just be walking straight into the knights. Arthur cursed again and turned back, hoping he could spot a safe way to climb up. However he couldn't see one and it was just slightly too tall for him to pull himself and then Morgana over.

Fortunately that was the moment when Morgause appeared at the top of the rock face. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the blonde. He knew that she would find a way to get them out.

"Can you get up?" She asked.

"No, it's too steep." Was Arthur's reply.

Suddenly he had an idea.

"Morgana come here." He commanded.

As she obeyed he grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the rock.

"Put your foot here." He ordered, indicating part of the rock face where he thought she could get a strong footing.

Morgana did as she was told with Arthur supporting her. Arthur grabbed hold of her waist and helped her put all her weight on that foot. By doing this the raven hair women had hoisted herself up a couple of inches and as she stretched up she was able to grab hold of the hand that Morgause was reaching down towards her. Arthur pushed up as Morgause pull and, with a little help from the blonde woman's magic, they managed to get her to the top.

Arthur then tried to copy Morgana's escape route however he found that he had nothing to grip hold of and was unable to stay balanced long enough to reach for Morgause.

"Throw up the amulet."

Arthur's head snapped up to stare at the pair at the top as Morgause spoke. He realised that she wasn't actually making any attempt to help him up. She had stood up and was staring down at him coolly.

"Get me up there and I'll bring the amulet with me." Arthur demanded.

Something in the smile on Morgause's face sent chills down the young prince's spine. It wasn't a smile that filled him with confidence that she was on his side. He spotted Morgana next to her and realised that the raven haired woman wasn't trying to help him either. In fact her gaze seemed to be focused on the pouch at his waist which contained the amulet.

Suddenly Morgause's eyes flashed gold and Arthur felt a slight tug at his waist, as if the pouch was trying to reach Morgause. Angrily Arthur grabbed hold of it, determined not to let the sorceresses have it. However it seemed he didn't have anything to worry about as Morgause cried out as if in pain and staggered back slightly.

Arthur didn't understand what was going on but he could tell that whatever spell Morgause was trying to cast on the amulet hadn't worked. The two sisters exchanged a look and Arthur glanced behind him, knowing that any minute now the knights were going to burst through the trees. Glancing back Arthur saw the two women shoot him a last look before disappearing from view.

And now Arthur was totally alone. He turned back to face the trees and whispered a quick prayer. He knew that nothing terrible was going to happen to him if they did manage to take him back to the castle. His father would be mad and probably confine him to his rooms for a couple of days, but after that everything would go back to normal. However he also knew that if he was taken back now then he would never get another chance to look for Emrys. And he couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

Backing up Arthur felt his back press against the rock behind him. He started moving to his right, his eyes never leaving the trees, feeling at the rock face behind him for an opening. He was starting to lose hope when his hand felt behind some vines that were growing up the wall and found an opening.

Arthur spun round, pushing the vines aside to reveal a low tunnel. It wasn't tall enough for him to walk through but there was plenty of room if he crawled. Dropping to his knees Arthur crawled into the small tunnel, making sure that the vines fell back in place behind him, covering the entrance. It was pitch black in the tunnel and Arthur had to feel his way forward. He didn't know what he would do if it turned out to lead to a dead end, he just had to pray that it would open out eventually.

x-x-x

Leon cantered into the clearing and pulled his horse up sharply. He and his group of knights had been chasing the prince and the Le Fay sisters since they had left the castle and was pleased that they had remained on their trail. He had almost lost the prince when Morgause set off in a different direction. But he had known that Arthur and Morgana were on foot, his sorcerers having informed him that their spell had worked.

Having spent years training with the prince Leon knew how his mind worked and it didn't take much for him to figure out that he and the younger witch would have fled in the opposite direction. That was why he was so confused when they skidded into the clearing to find it empty.

Leon was sure that they couldn't have doubled back without being spotted. That meant that they were either hidden in this clearing or somewhere miles away having used magic to escape.

"Fan out. I want the whole of this area searched. Check they didn't backtrack on us or take another turn." He commanded.

The men behind him nodded and set off to follow his orders. Leon himself dismounted and stepped further into the clearing. He could see two sets of footprints that had clearly been running into the clearing. He followed them right to the back and stopped as he saw a section of disturbed ground. It was clear that the pair of them had been doing something here.

Leon's gaze was flicking from the ground to the rock to the land above. Pieces were slotting together in his mind and he was slowly figuring out what must have happened. He spotted a protruding bit of rock and placed his foot on it, pushing himself up. However he found that he wasn't tall enough to grab the top and there was nothing else that gave him enough purchase to keep himself up there.

He jumped down and stared at the impassable rock. If he couldn't reach the top then there was no way Arthur or Morgana, both of whom were shorter than him, would be able to. Leon sighed as his mind jumped to the only conclusion left; magic. Somehow they must have used it to get them over and to escape him and his men.

Leon ran a hand through his hair in despair. He knew that he couldn't return to the castle without the prince, there was no way he wanted to face the king's wrath if that was the case. This meant that they had to push onwards and find another way round.

"Bloody sorcerers." Leon muttered as he climbed back upon his horse and left the clearing, missing the entrance hidden behind the vines.

x-x-x

After what felt like an age Arthur spotted light ahead of him. Relief flooded through him and he pressed forward, wanting to reach the light as soon as possible. Arthur collapsed on the ground as he reached the light and exited the tunnel. Lying on his back he stared up at the sky above him and decided he'd never been more thankful to be outside.

Taking a few deep shuddering breaths Arthur eventually managed to calm down his pounding heart. There had been a moment when he had thought that he wasn't going to get out of the tunnel and would have been stuck in there forever.

Arthur pushed himself up and glanced around him, suddenly realising that he didn't know where he was. If he'd thought he was lost earlier then he knew he definitely was now. This was not an area of the forest that he recognised, which did surprise him slightly with the amount of time he spent in it hunting.

Panic flashed through Arthur and he grabbed at his waist, fearing that he had lost the amulet in the tunnel. He sighed in relief as his hand closed around the pouch. Curious, Arthur pulled out the crystal and inspected it. He was sure that it felt warmer than it had in the vaults and there was definitely a faint blue glow to it. Excitement flooded through him as he decided this. Morgana had told him that the crystal would only truly glow blue in Emrys' hands but it would start to gain a blue tint as the holder moved closer to the lost boy.

Arthur smiled eagerly. Did this mean he was nearing Emrys? Arthur was surprised that the crystal had reacted this early. He was only about a couple of hours ride from Camelot, surely if Emrys was this close then someone would have found him by now. Though perhaps he was the first to find the hidden tunnel.

Returning the crystal to its pouch Arthur stood up and stared around at his surroundings. The forest seemed to be thinner here, the trees packed less tightly together. Through them Arthur caught sight of a building in the distance. Moving to his left slightly Arthur saw that there was a tall tower through the trees.

For a moment Arthur debated what to do next. He couldn't go back, that was out of the question, and he didn't really want to be wondering around this strange part of the forest with no knowledge of where he was or where he was going. That meant that the sensible solution would be to head to this tower and hope that someone there could tell him where about he was and that they had a map. He would just have to pray that they didn't recognise him as he didn't really have any other option.

x-x-x

A couple of hours later Arthur found himself stood in front of the tower, a frown creasing his face. He had walked around the base of it multiple times now and couldn't find an entrance. His frown deepened as he stared at the bare stone, what sort of tower didn't have a door? Stepping back Arthur craned his head up to stare at the top of the tower. There was a window at the top which made Arthur think that someone must stay here. But how did they get in?

Sorcery was the only plausible explanation that he could think of. This however was not a promising realisation. He didn't possess any magic and was wondering how he was going to get up there. He debated calling up to see if anyone was home and if they'd let him in. However he decided that he would rather find out who lived there and whether they posed any threat to him before he made his presence known.

What he had spotted as he was looking for the door was that the tower didn't seem to be in the best state of repair and the walls had crumbled in many places, making indents that could be used as handy foot and handholds. Arthur made sure that his sword and the pouch containing the amulet were attached securely to his belt before he grabbed hold of the stone. He reasoned that even if there wasn't anyone home this would be as good a place as any to rest his head as night was drawing in fast.

It was times like this that Arthur was thankful for the training he had received his whole life. His muscles strained under the effort of pulling himself up but he pressed on, knowing that this was the only way he wouldn't have to go crawling back to Camelot with his tail between his legs. All his supplies had been on his horse that had fled so he had to find something here or he was going to be in trouble, not knowing where the nearest water supply was.

Eventually Arthur reached the top and he grabbed hold of the base of the window, using it to pull himself inside. He was thankful that the window had been left open as he wasn't sure what he would have done if he had made it to the top only to find that his way forward was blocked. With a grunt Arthur collapsed on the floor inside, leaning against the wall with the window behind him.

After taking a few deep breaths Arthur struggled to his feet and glanced around the room he had found himself in. It was sparsely furnished with a large fireplace at the other side of the room. It was lit, the light flickering off the two chairs in front of it, which told Arthur that someone must be home. He took in a couple of doors leading out of the room.

However his attention was drawn away from taking in the room as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning towards it Arthur searched for whatever it was he had caught out of the corner of his eye. He took in a mop of messy raven hair before everything went dark.

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So they've met...well kinda! :D I know this was very Arthur centred again but don't worry there will be lots of Merlin next chapter! I'd love to hear what you all think! x


	4. Chapter 4

I promised you more Merlin so here you are. This chapter may not be what many of your were expecting but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Huge thanks to all of you who have been reading and special thanks to those of you who have reviewed, I love to hear what you think. Enjoy. x

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Merlin stared wide eyed at the unconscious figure on his floor. He had heard the sounds of someone outside the tower and had glanced outside to see the blonde climbing up towards the window. Panicking he had moved as far away from the window as he could, hiding in a dark corner of the room. He had no idea why this man was here but his mother had always warned him about people from the outside who wanted to hurt him and use his gifts for their own gain. He feared that this man had discovered about his talents and location and had come to take him away.

The man had climbed through the window and Merlin had to admit that he was breathtaking. Framed by the window the sunlight pouring through it lit him up, glistening in his hair. The only person Merlin had seen in the flesh that he could remember was his mother however this man looked like one of the heroes from the storybooks that his mother had brought back from her journeys for him to read.

When the man had sunk to the floor Merlin had almost moved from his hiding place to see if he was okay, but something held him back. He was enjoying just watching the man, he was intriguing. But then the man stood up and Merlin spotted the sword at his waist. That sight brought back the reality of what was happening back to him and he realised just what sort of danger he could be in.

Taking a deep breath to stop himself from panicking Merlin decided that he had to make it to his room. He knew in the draw next to his bed that there was a stone. If he could only reach it then all he had to do was whisper the right words and his mother would know he was in trouble and come and save him. As the man turned to look to his right Merlin took his chance and started to move towards the doorway to his room.

However the man seemed to sense the movement and he turned towards where Merlin was. Panicked Merlin reacted on instinct. His magic flowed out of him and the man collapsed onto the floor.

For a few moments Merlin just stared at the crumpled figure as he took a few deep breaths. He wasn't a hundred percent sure what his magic had just done and how long the man would be like this for. Moving towards him cautiously until he was stood over him Merlin watched carefully for any sign of movement or that he was about to attack. However the man remained still. Wanting to make sure that the man wasn't going to wake up and attack him any time soon Merlin poked him carefully with his foot, jumping back the moment he did in case the man woke up.

However nothing happened. Feeling braver Merlin shook him a few times with his foot but he still didn't move. Suddenly a horrible thought crossed his mind, what if he had killed him? Merlin wasn't sure what his magic had done and it could be volatile at times. There had been a few occasions when, in his frustration, his magic had lashed out and broken things. His mother was always telling him how he should meditate for a couple of hours every day whilst she was out to learn how to better control it but he had to admit that he often got bored and barely made it past ten minutes let alone an hour.

Worried now Merlin bent down and pushed the man over so he was lying on his back. He was less fearful for his own safety now and more worried about the man. He had been scared the blonde was going to hurt him but he hadn't meant to kill him. However, now the man was lying on his back, he could see that he was still breathing.

Merlin sighed in relief and straightened back up, moving towards his room. Now he knew he hadn't killed him Merlin had no idea what he was supposed to do with him. He entered his meagre bedroom and pulled open the draw at his bedside. He had picked up the pale stone and already formed to words in his mind before he paused. He could use this situation to his advantage. If his mother came back and found that Merlin had dealt with the man who had arrived without even being seen properly then maybe she would realise that he was grown up enough to leave the tower and she would take him to see the lights.

But he couldn't call her with the stone if he was going to show her that. He couldn't send a message to his mother with it, only alert her if he was in trouble. She had always told him not to use it unless it was a real emergency. If he called her here with that then she would think that he had panicked and called her before he had taken the man out. That would prove to her that he couldn't take care of himself without her there. No he must wait until she got back and then tell her what happened.

Smiling at the decision he had made Merlin put the stone back in the draw gently before closing it. As he moved out into the main room he glanced out of the window and saw that it would still be a couple of hours before his mother returned. He saw that the man was still where he left him and made his way over to him. Merlin hesitated for a moment before sitting down next on the floor next to his limp body.

Never having seen another man before Merlin studied him carefully. He could see that there were many differences between himself and the unconscious man. He's much broader than me and his ears don't stick out as much as mine, Merlin thought pressing one of his ears as his thought this.

However what intrigued him the most was the other mans hair. He had only ever seen his and his mother's dark hair but this man's brilliant blonde hair was totally different. It looked exactly like the hair of the princes and princesses in the pictures in his books. Merlin remembered how he had always hated that the good princes and princesses had blonde hair whilst the evil knights had the same colour hair as him. He remembered sitting and colouring in the prince's hair so he wasn't blonde any more.

Though Merlin decided he wouldn't want to change this man's hair at all. It almost seemed to glow in the sunlight. Merlin reached out and tentatively ran his fingers through his hair. It felt much softer than Merlin's own hair ever did and he wondered how the other man got it like that.

Glancing up Merlin realised how much time had passed whilst he had been sat there. His mother would return soon. Merlin could almost see how it would happen. He would use his magic to pull her up and she would see the man on the floor and Merlin would explain what had happened and she would be so impressed that she would tell him that he was old enough to go see the lights.

Merlin paused then as he had a thought. His mother did sometimes tend to overreact and jump to conclusions before he had a chance to explain. What he really wanted was a chance to tell her exactly what had happened and then present her with the proof so she had to believe him.

That meant he had to find something to do with the man till he wanted to show him to his mother. He debated hiding him in his own room but realised that his mother did wonder in and out of his room and he couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't find him before Merlin was ready for her to.

Staring around Merlin spotted the large cabinet at the other end of the room. He knew that he could fit in there as he often hid there when he wanted to block everything out. Deciding that this was the best place to hide the man Merlin's next problem was how to get him there. Picking up his feet Merlin dragged the blonde man across the room. Dumping him in front of the cabinet Merlin sighed as he leant against it, trying to catch his breath. The stranger was much heavier than he had anticipated.

Pulling the cupboard doors open Merlin grabbed hold of the man. A combination of shoving and magic managed to get the man inside the cabinet. It was a much tighter fit for him than it was for Merlin but the young warlock managed to close the doors and seal them shut with a quick spell. He sank down onto the floor and leant his back against the cabinet doors.

He hadn't been sat there long before he heard a shout from outside of the tower. Scrambling to his feet Merlin realised just how close he had cut it. Running over to the window Merlin muttered the familiar spells and brought his mother into the tower.

"Oh darling I've had such a tiring day." She sighed as she stepped into the tower, giving Merlin a kiss on the cheek.

"I've had an eventful day too mother." Merlin replied eagerly.

"I'm sure you have but right now I just want to have a nice sit down. Why don't you cast the spell for me dear?" She said brushing Merlin's comment aside.

As she settled herself in the chair Merlin rushed over and knelt on the floor next to her. Swiftly yanking out the necklace with the glass star out from under his shirt Merlin grabbed Nimueh's hand and closed his eyes.

"_Ágíeman se__sceþne. Edhwierft se æfterield_."

He said the words as fast as possible and felt the magic flowing out of him. The moment the spell was done he released his mother's hand and jumped to his feet. He felt a slight wave of dizziness overcome him at the sudden movement after using so much of his magic, but it soon passed. He noticed his mother looked rather flustered at the speed he had cast the spell but he ignored that, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Mother something happened today and I think it will make you reconsider taking me to see the lights." He started.

"Oh not this again." Nimueh sighed, throwing her arms up in despair, "I thought we had agreed about this?"

"Yes but I think this will change your mind." Merlin said as he moved over to the cabinet where the man was hidden.

"Merlin I was serious when I said that it was too dangerous for you leave." Nimueh said getting out the chair and moving towards the kitchens, "Now can we please just drop this."

"But mother I wanted to show you..."

"Merlin." Nimueh snapped making Merlin freeze.

He had never heard his mother sound quite so strict before. Sure there had been times when she had been mad at him and shouted but her voice had never sounded like that. There was something sinister and menacing behind her words and Merlin shivered in fear.

"Merlin I love you with all my heart but you're going to have to obey me on this one. It is for your own good."

"But mother..." Merlin tried one more time.

"No Merlin." Nimueh snapped, the menacing tone back in her voice, "You are not leaving this tower and that is final. Understood?"

Merlin briefly considered pulling open the cabinet door and letting his mother see exactly what he was trying to tell her but something stopped him. There was a small voice in the back of his head that was telling him that there was no way his mother was going to let him leave the tower, even if he showed her that he could take care of himself. But the man in the cupboard, he could help. He must know the way to the castle; Merlin could make him take him there. If he got his mother to leave for a couple of days, as she did sometimes, then they could be there and back and she would never even know. The lights would appear the day after tomorrow and Merlin realised that this may be his only hope to see them.

"Yes mother." He said slowly, moving away from the cabinet.

He took a few deep breaths as his mother, seemingly satisfied with his answer, moved back into the kitchen.

"I was just wondering if maybe for my birthday we could have some of that wonderful fish you brought back last week?"

"Merlin you know that the fish was from the lake of Avalon. It would take me a couple of days to get there and back."

"I know but I was really hoping we could have some." Merlin replied in a small voice.

Nimueh's face seemed to soften as Merlin looked down to the ground meekly.

"Well if it will stop you from wanting to go to those lights then I suppose I could go." Nimueh replied with a smile, "Are you sure you would be alright here on your own for that long."

"Of course mother." Merlin said with a bright smile, knowing full well that he wouldn't be alone.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry I'm late again, be warned this could become a regular occurrence. But here is the chapter I know a lot of you have been waiting for, they finally speak to each other. I hope you enjoy it. As always huge thanks to all those of you who have reviewed. I am going to include replies to anonymous reviews at the bottom of each chapter from now on. As always would love to hear what you think of this chapter. Enjoy. x

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The next morning Merlin was up early, pacing round his room as he impatiently waited for his mother to wake and depart for her trip. Eventually he heard her moving around in the main room and he hurried out the door to see if he could help her on her way.

"Ah Merlin, you're awake." Nimueh said with a smile as she spotted him, "Are you sure you'll be okay here on your own, I don't have to go if you don't think you will be."

"I'll be fine mother." Merlin reassured her hurriedly, "It's not like this is the first time you've left for this long."

"I just worry about you dear." She replied fondly, cupping his cheek, "Well if you're sure then."

Nimueh dropped a kiss on the top of his head before making her way over to the window. Merlin spoke the familiar words and the rope appeared outside the window, disappearing down the side of the tower. Nimueh grabbed hold of it and Merlin lowered her to the ground with ease. The spell was so familiar to him now that he could do it without a second thought.

Merlin remained by the window as he watched his mother walk away from the tower. It wasn't until he was sure that she had disappeared fully into the trees that he moved away from the window and towards the cupboard. He pulled the doors open and had to jump backwards as the blonde's body fell unceremoniously out. Merlin had been worried that the man would wake up in the cupboard in the middle of the night or before his mother had gone and so had strengthened the sleeping spells that prevented him from waking whilst his mother wasn't looking. He had also made sure to cast the spells he had found in his magic book to keep him nourished and hydrated as he didn't want the other man dying on him. However Merlin had never had a chance to test them on anyone so he wasn't sure how well they worked.

Hesitating for a moment Merlin watched the blonde man's chest rise and fall, confirming that he was still alive. Merlin realised that he couldn't just let him wake up like this as he risked the other man overreacting and attacking him before Merlin had a chance to explain his plan. Instead an idea entered his mind as he spotted the wooden chair in the middle of the kitchen.

With a flash of his eyes the chair was soon in the centre of the room. Merlin bent down and unstrapped the blonde's belt, pulling off his sword and scabbard. He chucked them across the room, far out of reach in case the older man woke up. Merlin had no doubt that without his magic the other man would easily be able to overpower him. However he was fairly confident that if it came to it he could easily take the other man out with magic.

Despite this confidence Merlin was still nervous. He didn't know how the blonde was going to react when he woke. And, as much as Merlin was intrigued by him, he was still a little afraid of him. His mother had spent his whole life warning him off people from the outside who wanted to hurt him and he was having a hard time shaking those words off.

It was too late to turn back now though, so Merlin grabbed hold of the man and dragged, with the help of magic, him across the room. He somehow managed to manoeuvre him into the chair where the man slumped, still unconscious.

"_Á__s__æ__lan sw__á__ hwyrftweg bewerian_."

As Merlin's eyes flashed gold ropes appeared and bound themselves around the blonde's arms and legs, pinning him to the chair. Merlin smiled at his handy work, there was no way he would be able to escape from the chair.

However the wind was taken out of his sails as Merlin realised that he didn't actually know how to reverse the sleeping spell. After a few attempts the young warlock gave up, knowing that he would just end up pointlessly wearing himself out. Instead Merlin realised he would just have to wait until the stranger woke up by himself.

Merlin turned to close the cupboard doors when he spotted the other man's sword and scabbard. Moving towards it Merlin realised that it wasn't the only thing attached to the blonde's belt. A pouch was also hanging off one side of it.

Curious Merlin bent and picked it up. Pulling it open he poured the contents onto his hand. He was surprised by the crystal that fell into his palm. That hadn't been what he was expecting to find. Either way he was enthralled by its beauty. His mother had many crystals to help with her spells but none of them were as pure as this one. It glowed blue, drawing Merlin in. He chucked the pouch aside and cradled it in both hands. As he stared deeply into it Merlin suddenly found images flashing in front of his eyes.

The castle towering over him as he gazed up at the tall building, two blue lights floating in front of him, the blonde stranger lying deathly still on the tower floor.

At that sight Merlin instinctively dropped the crystal and propelled himself backwards across the floor away from it. He could feel his heartbeat racing. Merlin closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to slow his pounding heart. Once he had his emotions under control Merlin opened his eyes and glanced at the blonde. He looked so peaceful in his unconscious state and Merlin felt a pang of worry. The image he had just seen was definitely this man, and by the looks of things he hadn't been breathing.

He felt something brush his hand and glanced down to see Freya rubbing herself against him. He picked up the small cat and placed her on his lap, stroking her gently. As he stroked her he found the motion soothing and it helped to calm his still shaken nerves.

Merlin frowned. He didn't know this man yet somehow he felt a connection to him, he didn't want him to die whether he turned down his offer or not. At that moment Merlin decided that he would look after the blonde for as long as he could and make sure that whatever fate he had seen in the crystal didn't befall him.

Thinking of the crystal Merlin turned back to it and realised that it was no longer glowing blue. The young warlock frowned at this. He was sure it had been a deep blue colour when he was holding it. Picking Freya up and placing her on the floor next to him Merlin moved back towards it carefully, hesitating before picking it up again.

This time the images didn't come however the moment his skin touched the crystal it lit up with a deep blue glow. Merlin wondered about this but couldn't come up with an explanation for it. He was about the cast a few spells on the crystal to see if he could find out what it did when he heard a groan behind him. Whipping his head round he saw that the blonde man was stirring as he begun to wake.

Grabbing the pouch Merlin quickly stuffed the crystal back inside and looked for somewhere to hide it. He had no doubt that this crystal was valuable and Merlin was sure that the blonde would want it returned to him. Merlin smiled as he realised that he may have just found the leverage he needed.

Merlin hurried over to the loose floorboard at the foot of the stairs. Pulling it up he slipped the pouch into the small gap beneath it. Replacing the step Merlin turned back to face the blonde as he slowly opened his eyes.

x-x-x

As Arthur came to he groaned as he felt the ache spread throughout his body. He felt like he had been dragged across the floor. It was worse than the extra training sessions that he and a few of his best knights participated in which always left him aching after. His muscles were protesting as if they had been stuck in one position for a long time. Arthur tried to stretch his tired muscles but found he couldn't move.

At this realisation Arthur dragged his eyes open. Well he attempted to anyway. He felt strangely weary and was finding it hard to pull his eyelid open. Arthur remembered the last time he had felt like this, Morgana had used a sleeping spell on him so she could break into his room and steal his sword as she had been forbidden from practicing. He had felt the effects of the spell lingering for days afterwards.

Eventually he managed to open his eyes, blinking rapidly as the bright daylight assaulted his vision. As soon as the spots cleared from in front of his eyes Arthur stared down at his arms. He found that he was bound to the chair he was sat on. Golden ropes wrapped around his wrists and ankles, preventing him from moving. Struggling for a few moments Arthur tried to break free before he gave up. He slumped into the chair, knowing there was no way he would be able to get out of it.

Instead Arthur took the opportunity to look around the room he was trapped in. It was definitely the tower he had climbed into, he recognised it from the quick look he had gotten before he had been knocked unconscious. It was sparsely furnished but it definitely looked well lived in. Arthur realised that whoever it was that lived here clearly wasn't pleased that he had broken in.

That was the moment that his eyes landed on the figure to his right. Arthur watched took in the tall, skinny frame, the messy raven hair, and the bright blue eyes that seemed to be boring into him. This appeared to be the person holding him captive and it definitely wasn't who Arthur had been imagining. The boy was clearly younger than Arthur by a couple of years at the least. Arthur tried to look as menacing as possible to try and intimidate his captor but was finding it difficult to do anything under the cool stare of the boy.

"Who are you?" Arthur asked, "What do you want from me?"

"You were the one who broke in here." The boy replied, "Surely you should be the one answering those questions."

Indignation flashed through Arthur. No one had ever spoken to him quite like that before. Well Morgana had but that was different, she was practically family. This insolent boy was a complete stranger, daring to talk to him as if he was the one in the wrong, rather than being tied to a chair at the boy's mercy.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." Arthur replied haughtily, "You're the one who's tied me to a chair."

Merlin frowned. The stranger was bizarre. He looked like a prince from his stories yet he talked like an obnoxious prat. And the conversation was definitely not going the way he had planned.

"I'm Merlin." He said, trying to bring some normality back to the conversation, "And you are?"

However it seemed that the stranger was not in the mood for polite conversation as he refused to answer, glaring at Merlin angrily. Merlin found himself losing patience at the blonde. It was one thing for him to walk in here uninvited and quite another to act as if he owned the place, despite being tied to a chair. Merlin thought he almost preferred the man unconscious on his floor but pushed that thought aside, he needed him to help him get to the lights.

"You really are a prat do you know that?" Merlin glared.

Arthur spluttered at the raven haired boy's words.

"You can't talk to me like that." He spat, "Don't you know who I am?"

"Clearly not as you refused to tell me." Merlin cried, throwing his arms up in despair.

He could feel his magic and the surface of his skin, inching to burst free. He moved over to the window and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It wouldn't do to have him lose his control in front of the blonde.

Arthur watched the younger man carefully. It was clear he was a warlock, the ropes around his arms and legs were definitely the product of magic. Yet there was something about him, a nervous innocence, that told Arthur he didn't really know what he was doing. His exasperated words had confirmed that he had no idea that Arthur was the prince of Camelot and Arthur had no intention of revealing that fact. He had met too many people who wanted to use him for who he was and he wasn't going to let this idiot take advantage.

"I'm Arthur." He replied slowly, "What do you want from me?"

Arthur watched warily as a large smile spread across the warlock's, Merlin as he now knew, face. He seemed genuinely pleased that Arthur had told him his name.

"Well Arthur, I want you to take me to see the floating lights at the castle."

Of all the things Arthur was expecting, that wasn't one of them.

"The floating lights?" Arthur asked confused.

Merlin smiled, in full swing now. His eyes flashed gold and Arthur found his chair moving across the room to face the fire place. Another flash and an image appeared in the fire. It was the same one Merlin had shown his mother when he was trying to explain where he wanted to go.

Arthur recognised it instantly as Camelot and the ceremony that they performed for Emrys. He wondered why Merlin would want him to take him there. Glancing at the window Merlin had been stood next to moments ago Arthur spotted what he had missed from the position the chair had been in previously. From here he had a perfect view of Camelot, the castle standing proud against the blue sky.

"Why can't you just go there yourself?" Arthur asked confused.

His curiosity had taken over his anger at being tied to the chair and he turned back to Merlin, watching him questioningly.

"I don't know how to get there." Merlin said slowly.

However Arthur read between the lines and realised what the young warlock wasn't telling him.

"You've never left this tower have you?"

Merlin's eyes widened and he stared at Arthur in shock. He didn't understand how the blonde had worked it out. He didn't realise he was that obvious. Merlin debated denying it but realised that if Arthur had managed to work it out then he probably wouldn't believe him anyway.

"How did you know?" He asked quietly.

"Well it's glaringly obvious." Arthur replied patronisingly, "It's not like you have much common sense."

Merlin's glare returned at Arthur's tone.

"Are you going to take me or not?" He demanded hotly.

"No I don't think I am." Arthur replied haughtily.

That was the moment that his gaze landed on his sword belt lying at the foot of the stairs. There was a brief moment when he registered that the stairs went up not down and he hadn't actually seen any way of getting down from the tower other than the way he came in, but he pushed that away as unimportant. Instead he focused on the fact that, although his sword was there, something was missing.

"Where's my pouch?" He demanded.

Merlin frowned bemused. It took him a moment to work out what Arthur was on about. But as he followed the blonde's gaze and his eyes landed on the sword and belt he worked out what he meant.

"Somewhere you'll never find it." Merlin replied smugly.

Arthur kept his face blank but inside he was panicking. He knew that if Merlin had removed the pouch then he had found the crystal within and decided to use it as ammunition, maybe he wasn't as much of an idiot as Arthur had originally thought. But that brought him to his next problem. He had no doubt that Merlin could use his magic to hide the crystal so that Arthur would never find it, yet he couldn't continue his journey without it.

"You can refuse to take me to the castle, that's fine." Merlin spoke, pleased with himself, "I'll release you to go about your business as you please. But you'll never find your crystal, even if you tear this tower apart piece by piece."

Merlin knew that this was a bluff. The crystal was just under the lose floorboard. But from the look on Arthur's face, the blonde didn't know this. And Merlin gambled that that crystal must be really important and expensive and he didn't think that Arthur would risk it being lost to him forever.

"Or you can take me to the castle in time to see the lights and then bring me back and I will return the pouch and the crystal to you." He continued.

Merlin held his breath as he watched Arthur mull it over. He could practically see the cogs whirring in Arthur's head as he a tried to find a way out of it. However Merlin spotted the moment when Arthur realised there was nothing he could do.

"So, do we have a deal?" Merlin asked hopefully.

"Deal."

* * *

So here are the replies to all the anoymous reviews I've had so far as I forgot to do this earlier. :D

**Airabella: **Thanks so much for all of your great reviews! I'm glad you like the idea. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. Its not quite the same as the scene from Tangled but I felt Merlin and Arthur's personalities would have take it a different way. Thanks and I hope to hear from you again.

**Amber: **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying it. I did add Freya the cat as a semi-replacement to Pascal the chameleon (she's in the first chapter and as well as this one) though I really she doesn't have quite the same role. I hope you continue to enjoy this.

**Beth: **Thank you for your review! And thanks for pointing out the mistake in the second chapter. I did change it and I am pleased that you pointed it out, I don't always catch everything when I'm checking it through.

**NykSkyBlue: **Thanks for your reviews! I'm glad you like the idea and I hope you continue to enjoy it.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, here's another one for you guys. Slightly shorter today, but's it's on time so that's a bonus. I will say now that it's unlikely there will be a chapter next week, at least not on the Tuesday as normal. I know it's a extra long weekend with all the bank holidays but I'm not here for most of it and so may not have time to get the next one out. However I promise I will try and get back on track the week after. Thanks to everyone for their brilliant reviews and to those of you who are just reading, though I would love to know what you think. And extra special thanks to Roses-as-lips for her beta and helping me through my drama with this chapter (I still feel like there's something not quite right with it I just can't put my finger on it). Replies to anonymous reviews are at the bottom.

Most of you probably haven't read any of that but hey. :D Enjoy. x

* * *

Arthur rolled his shoulders, trying to stretch out the throbbing pain that had settled in them from being tied up for so long. However the dull ache refused to leave. The blonde sighed and turned to watch the strange boy hurrying around the small tower. He still hadn't managed to figure the young warlock out. He had tied him up, demanded he take him to Camelot and blackmailed him with the return of the crystal, yet he seemed completely naive. And there was something about him that Arthur couldn't put his finger on, something almost familiar.

Shaking his head Arthur brushed the thought aside as Merlin bent down and started talking to the smallest cat Arthur had ever seen. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculously friendly way the young warlock addressed the animal. He definitely has a screw loose, Arthur thought as he turned away.

Glancing out of the window Arthur's gaze landed on Camelot. It seemed he was now going to end up returning to the town he had only just managed to escape. He recognised how unlikely it was that he would be unable to leave again if he was recognised, yet he couldn't continue on his journey without the crystal.

A frown suddenly crossed Arthur's face as he noticed that the sun was rising over the turrets of the castle. It had definitely been gone midday be the time he had left the castle with the Le Fay sisters so he didn't understand how the sun could be rising. Unless...

"Merlin how long was I unconscious?" Arthur asked, turning to face the young warlock.

Despite the fact that Merlin's back was to Arthur the prince didn't fail to notice the way the young warlock tensed at his words.

"Er...overnight." Merlin replied hesitantly.

He turned to face Arthur, a sheepish look on his face. Arthur sighed in despair.

"Was I tied to that chair all night?" He asked, "It's no wonder I ache."

"Well...not exactly." Merlin replied cagily.

Arthur fixed his piercing glare upon Merlin who squirmed uncomfortably. Arthur smirked inwardly, that look never failed to make his new knights spill. Merlin, however, seemed to decide that the best course of action was to avoid Arthur's gaze and he turned to stare out of the window.

"What's the castle called?" He asked curiously.

Arthur stared at him in shock. He hadn't for one moment even considered that Merlin wouldn't know about Camelot. He thought that everyone knew of it, he certainly knew that stories of their land were told for miles around.

"Camelot." Arthur answered.

"Camelot." Merlin repeated in a whisper, his eyes full of awe.

Arthur watched his reaction bemused, there was nothing to hint that the young warlock had ever heard of Camelot.

"Yeah and they're not too fond of me there at the moment so perhaps I'm not the best person to take you." Arthur suggested, trying to wheedle out of his task.

"Fine, don't take me." Merlin replied nonchalantly, "But don't expect to get your crystal back."

"You really are an obnoxious idiot." Arthur spluttered in frustration, "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Neither do you, prat." Merlin replied unconcerned.

Well that was the appearance he gave off. Inside he was still cautious of the arrogant blonde. He had no doubt that Arthur could take him down with one blow, Merlin just had to count on his magic to be able to do it in less than that.

"Come on then." Arthur sighed, "We'd better get going if we're going to make it there in time."

With that Arthur strode over to the window and climbed over the ledge. Merlin wondered over to it confused. He leant out the window and looked down to see Arthur climbing down the side of the tower. Merlin watched him for a minute in confusion, wondering why he had chosen to climb down that way.

He watched Arthur's retreating form for a little longer, admiring the way his muscles flexed with exertion. Pulling back Merlin decided he had better catch the blonde up.

"_R__í__ce __æ__t__í__ewan b__é__ting_."

At his words the rope appeared from the pulley, dangling down towards the ground. Merlin paused as it appeared and stood, staring at it blankly. This was it. The moment he had been dreaming about for as long as he could remember. Anticipation and excitement flooded through him as he stepped forward and grabbed hold of the rope.

However the moment he did he realised the implications of what he was doing. He had never even stepped foot outside the tower before and here he was about to run off to the castle (Camelot, he corrected himself) without a care in the world. What would his mother think? Her face flashed in front of his vision as he thought this. She would be so disappointed in him if she found out that he'd left. She had been so intent on keeping him in the tower, and Merlin knew that she had his best interests at heart, so she would know what was best for him.

"Merlin? Are you coming or what?"

Arthur's shout floated up through the open window and Merlin took a deep breath, steadying himself. There was no need for his mother to know. They would make it to Camelot and back before she returned to the tower, she would never even know he was gone.

With that thought bolstering his confidence Merlin wrapped the rope around his hand for better grip and used his magic to create a knot in the rope to rest his feet on. His eyes flashed gold and the rope began to move, slowly lowering him to the ground.

Merlin eventually reached the ground and as he felt his feet touch the grass he let out the breath he hadn't quite realised he was holding. He stared around him in awe, never having seen the world from this angle before. The trees seemed much taller than they had appeared from within the tower and he glanced back up at it in shock, only just realising how high he had been for all these years.

He took a hesitant step forward, marvelling at the grass beneath his feet. A wave of euphoria hit him. This was it, he was finally out. A laugh escaped his lips as he moved forward towards the nearest tree, running his hands over the trunk, feeling the bark beneath his fingertips for the first time.

It was amazing; everything was so new and exciting. Merlin wanted to touch everything, to see everything. He couldn't wait to see something different to the view outside his tower. There were so many wonderful places that he'd read about and now he finally had the chance to see them. The world was so perfect; he didn't understand why his mother had wanted to keep him from it.

His mother!

The sudden realisation of what he was doing hit Merlin and he froze, fear coursing through him. His mother had taken care of him his whole life, looked after him and protected him from harm. And how was he repaying her? By disobeying her and running off with a complete stranger. Granted he would be back in a couple of days, but it was still a betrayal.

Merlin turned around and sunk to the ground, leaning his back against the tree. He closed his eyes in despair as he felt guilt weighing him down like a ton of bricks. He was a terrible son.

He rested his hands on the ground and felt the soft grass beneath his fingertips. It felt cool against his skin and he marvelled once again and the new sensation. He didn't regret these experiences and his heart yearned to see the lights from Camelot. He would be back in a couple of days. His mother need never even know he was gone.

Just as he came to that decision a shadow fell over him. He opened his eyes to see Arthur standing over him.

"Had a change of heart?"

The prince had watched the strange warlock's reaction to being out of the tower with amusement. It had been entertaining to watch the innocent, child-like joy on Merlin's face and Arthur had had to restrain the fond smile that seemed to want to cross his face.

However something had changed and suddenly Merlin had been sat on the ground, anguish written all over his face. It took a moment but Arthur eventually realised that maybe Merlin was regretting his decision to leave the tower. Realising this was his chance to retrieve the crystal without having to take the boy to Camelot Arthur moved over to him, hoping to talk him out of it.

"No." Merlin replied, scrambling to his feet.

Arthur sighed, that was not the response he had been hoping for. Nonetheless he had to try, he really didn't want to return to Camelot and risk being caught by his father before he had a chance to find Emrys.

"You don't sound convinced." Arthur commented, raising his eyebrows disbelievingly.

"I am. I just..." Merlin trailed off, "I don't want to upset mother. She doesn't want me to go."

"Then maybe this isn't a good idea." Arthur replied, steering Merlin back towards the tower, "I mean she's your mother, she clearly knows what's best for you. So why don't you go back up the tower, return the crystal to me and I'll be on my way."

"No."

Merlin stopped, planting his feet on the ground so Arthur couldn't move him any further forward. Although he felt guilty and a little bit scared Merlin knew he couldn't just return to the tower. He knew he would regret it for the rest of his life.

"I'm not going back to the tower without seeing the lights." Merlin continued stubbornly, "So if you want your crystal back then I suggest you start leading the way."

Arthur sighed in despair and angrily headed off into the trees, Merlin following close behind.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Here are the replies to those anonymous ones.

**izzyborden: **Thanks I'm glad you like the idea and that you think they're true to their character because I was a little worried that they might stray from their characters. I am going to be bringing other characters from the series in. Gwaine is going to be (because I love him) and so is Gwen and Lancelot. They should be appearing next chapter if all goes to plan, which it never does. Not sure who else I'm going to add, I will just see how it goes.

**Airabella: **I'm glad you thought it fit them well. I tried to stick with their personalities rather than trying to keep it to how the film went. Thanks for you kind reviews, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much.

**NykSkyBlue: **Arthur may have trouble putting up with Merlin, we all know how little tolerance he has. :D But it could lead to some good banter, you'll just have to wait and see. Thanks so much for the reviews, I hope you enjoyed this one as well.

I'd love to hear from everyone as always. x


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of chapter last week but I hope this one makes up for it. Thanks so much to all of you who are taking the time to read this and extra special thanks to those of you who have reviewed, your comments really mean a lot. I'd love to hear from everyone. Enjoy. x

* * *

Leon ran his hands through his hair in despair. They had been looking for the prince and the Le Fay sisters for two days now and were still no closer to returning them to Camelot. The knight knew that he and his men could not return to Camelot empty handed so they had to continue. They had been tracking what they had thought were the prince and his companions' trail, but they had once again reached a dead end and Leon was almost at his wits end.

This wasn't the first time that Arthur had disappeared to do something stupid, or even the first time he had taken Morgana with him. However this was the first time Morgause had accompanied them and, whilst Morgana's magic wasn't strong enough to cover their tracks, Morgause's definitely was. Leon watched as the two men in front of him muttered spell after spell to pick up any trace of them. Their efforts however seemed to be wasted as something was blocking them.

By this point Leon had definitely decided that he hated magic, it would have been so much easier to find the prince if there had been a simple trail to track the prince. Unfortunately it appeared as if Morgause was using her magic to prevent that. Leon was nearly at his wits end, unsure where they should turn now.

"Leon I've got something!"

The shout came from the sorcerer in front of him. Leon's gaze instantly snapped towards the brunette sorcerer. The sorcerer was a recent addition to Leon's team. He was a few years younger than the prince and Leon had questioned the benefits of having one so young join them. That was until he saw what they boy could do.

"What have you found Gilli?" Leon asked urgently, moving towards him.

"I think I've found Morgause's signature." Gilli replied, his eyes still blazing gold.

"Her what?" Leon asked, he never understood when sorcerers started talking magic.

"Her signature." Gilli repeated, "Every sorcerer's magic is slightly different and these differences make the echo they leave behind when they cast a spell unique."

"Can we use this signature to track her?" Leon asked impatiently.

"I think so."

"Perfect."

Leon strode over to his horse and mounted it swiftly, indicating to his men to do the same. In no time they had set off and were following Gilli into the trees and hopefully towards the prince.

x-x-x

Nimueh heard the approaching knights before she saw them. Moving further into the trees she pulled up her hood just in case one of them did spot her. She knew that she was unwelcome so close to Camelot but that had never stopped her coming here before. She concealed herself behind a tree, waiting to see who the approaching group were.

Nervous energy flooded through her as she spotted the tell-tale red cloaks that informed her that they were knights of Camelot. Her apprehension deepened as they past her. She saw that they were all leaning low against their horses, urging them faster. Nimueh felt the familiar prickle of magic coming from the figure at the front and it didn't take her long to work out he was tracking someone.

Fortunately she knew that there was no way the group was tracking her. Her magic was much more powerful than any of the sorcerers in the group and she knew that none of them had the skill to be able to detect her magic; she was too well shielded for that.

Though that did beg the question, if they weren't tracking her who were they tracking? It was rare that Nimueh saw anyone in this part of the forest, let alone knights of Camelot. In fact she knew that this was one of the most secluded parts of the forest and, despite its proximity to Camelot, she had always felt safe here. Now however that safety seemed to be slowly disappearing.

It wasn't that she couldn't deal with a group of knights. In fact if they'd discovered her she'd have been able to take them out without even breaking a sweat. The issue would have arisen when the knights' bodies had been discovered. Nimueh wasn't an idiot, she knew that if she killed the whole group it would be noticed when they didn't return to Camelot. And then there would be patrols everywhere searing for the missing knights, which was something Nimueh really didn't want. More patrols meant more people in the forest who were more likely to eventually find their tower, and Merlin.

Merlin!

Ice cold fear flooded through Nimueh as she thought of the boy. He was in the tower all alone, what if he was the one they had been tracking? She knew that Merlin's vast power made his magical signature much more prominent. There were wards she'd set around the tower but Merlin's magic was much more powerful than hers and she knew that, if someone was using the right spells, they could sense him through her protections.

Nimueh forced herself to take a few calming breaths, panicking wouldn't do any good. She didn't know for a fact that they were tracking Merlin, there could be a fugitive sorcerer on the run they were following. However Nimueh didn't really believe that and she had already set off in the direction of the tower, knowing that she'd be able to get there first. Fear had settled in the pit of her stomach and she had a horrible feeling that she was about to lose the talented boy whose gifts were the only thing keeping her young and beautiful.

x-x-x

Morgause sat up sharply as she felt something tugging at her magic. Anger shot through her as she realised that someone was trying to track her. With a frustrated sigh she tried to knock them off her trail with a swift spell; however her tracker was more powerful than she'd expected and she realised it was going to take more than her simple spell to knock him off. She knew she could deal with him but it would take time, time she realised they didn't have as she felt the speed the knights were approaching.

Glancing down her gaze landed on Morgana who was lying on the forest floor, looking as if she was fast asleep. However Morgause knew that beneath Morgana's closed lids her eyes were blazing gold. She was trying to use her gift of the Sight to find Arthur and the crystal. Morgause knew what a delicate process it was and was loath to interrupt it, knowing that it could bring them closer to the prince. However she knew that they had to move before the knights got here and ruined any chance they had.

"Áwæcnan."

Morgana shot upright, her eyes snapping open. She inhaled a large gulp of air, the shock of Morgause's spell having taken the breath out of her. She panted, trying to calm her thumping heart, before turning to glare at Morgause.

"Sister why did you awaken me?"

"They're coming, we have to move." Morgause replied, already on her feet.

Morgana rose to stand next to her sister and cast around, looking for the source of Morgause's concern.

"Who's coming?" She asked confused.

"The knights that followed us from Camelot. They still think the prince is with us and want to take him home."

Morgana sighed and adjusted her dress before moving towards Morgause's horse. She mounted after her sister and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist.

"I don't understand, how are they tracking us?" Morgana asked as Morgause spurred the horse into action.

"They must be following my magical signature, I can throw them off but it will take time. They would have reached us before I had succeeded."

Morgana fell silent, satisfied with her sister's explanation. She tightened her grip as Morgause urged the horse faster. Morgana could hear the thunder of hooves in the distance which was surely Leon and the knights.

"Did you find the prince?" Morgause asked suddenly.

"No. I can't see him anywhere. Not even in the future and I can normally see the future easily, it's the present I struggle with." Morgana sighed, "But he's blocked everywhere. It's as if something powerful is preventing me from seeing him."

Morgause frowned at this. She had been counting on Morgana to direct them to the prince's current location. Although this was a setback, Morgause still had a few more tricks up her sleeve to find the prince and retrieve the crystal. What puzzled her was the force blocking Morgana's sight.

"Could it be the crystal?" Morgana asked.

"It's a possibility." Morgause replied airily.

Morgana fell silent as she could practically feel the power pouring off her sister and knew that she was trying to counter the tracking spell. Morgana had total faith in her sister and knew that Morgause would never let anything happen to her. She closed her eyes as Morgause's power flooded through and around her. Suddenly she felt it pulling away from them. The magic flowed to Morgana's left as Morgause pulled the horse sharply to the right.

They slowed after a couple of minutes to listen to receding hoof beats. A smirk crossed Morgana's face as she realised that the knights had fallen for Morgause's trick and followed her spell rather than them. They came to a halt and Morgana felt herself relax.

"What now?" She asked.

"Now we find the prince and retrieve our crystal." Morgause replied simply.

"But how are we going to find him? I can't use my Sight."

Morgause turned to her with a smile.

"Don't worry sister dear, there is more than one way to trap a prince."

x-x-x

Merlin and Arthur walked in relative silence as the prince led the way through the trees. The silence was broken every now and again by Merlin's noises of delight as he found something else new. Arthur was currently watching in frustration as Merlin was naming numerous herbs that the blonde had never even heard of. Arthur leant against the tree behind him, knowing it was going to be a while before they set off again. This wasn't the first time they had had to stop because Merlin had spotted something that he wanted to touch or smell or even talk to in the case of the rabbit they had seen earlier.

If Arthur was honest with himself he had found Merlin's childlike innocence at everything endearing to start with, but now he was sick of watching the young warlock exclaiming about how amazing everything was. What he really wanted to do was get to Camelot as quickly as possible, make sure he wasn't spotted and return Merlin to his tower so he could get the crystal back and continue to look for Emrys.

There was only one problem with that plan, other than the fact that Merlin was making everything take ten times longer than it needed to, and that was that Arthur wasn't a hundred percent sure where they were. On the way to the tower, after he had crawled through the tunnel, Arthur had been focusing on reaching the tall building and had kept it in front of him as he had approached. The problem he'd had when they'd climbed down from the tower was that he wasn't totally sure which direction he had come from.

Fortunately Arthur wasn't an expect hunter for nothing. He had found what had appeared to be his tracks from the day before. However as they walked further into the forest Arthur was starting to doubt that they were going to right way. He had made sure to keep the tower that they could see through the trees at his back but something was telling him that he wasn't quite following the right route. Casting round Arthur searched for a familiar landmark, but it was useless, everything looked the same. And Arthur was fairly sure he hadn't even been in this part of the forest before anyway. However he knew the general direction of Camelot and presumed that the route he'd taken to the tower couldn't be the only one.

Bored of Merlin's delighted explorations Arthur marched over to him and grabbed his arm. Without a word he dragged the young warlock away from the plant he had been examining and towards Camelot, or what he thought was the direction of Camelot.

"Hey what are you doing?" Merlin protested, "I was looking at that."

"And now you're not looking at it." Arthur replied neutrally.

Merlin turned to glare at him, pulling his arm out of Arthur's grip. The blonde had been moody ever since they had left the tower and it was starting to get on Merlin's nerves.

"What is wrong with you?" Merlin asked frustrated.

"Look do you want to get to Camelot in time to see the lights or not." Arthur snapped.

He stopped and glared at Merlin. The warlock watched the prince for a moment before turning away from him and continuing in the direction they had been walking. Arthur shook his head in frustration and continued after him.

"There's no need to be such a prat about it." Merlin mumbled under his breath.

Arthur rolled his eyes at what seemed to have become Merlin's favourite insult.

"Well there's no need to be such a girl either."

Arthur smirked as he saw Merlin glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. He kept his gaze forward, ignoring the warlock, who huffed in response. They walked along in silence for a few moments until Merlin spoke.

"So do you live in Camelot?" He asked Arthur curiously.

"Yes." Arthur replied shortly, not really wanting to discuss his home.

"What do you do there?" Merlin queried.

Arthur's mind was whirring trying to come up with a suitable lie. However he was saved the trouble as the sound of voices in the distance distracted them both. They exchanged a look before continuing slowly towards the voices. Arthur was hoping that there was someone there who could direct them to Camelot, and hopefully not recognise him in the process.

They paused at the edge of the trees and peered towards the source of the noise. There was a small building in the middle of the clearing which the noise was coming from. Arthur spotted the sign hanging above the door that read The Rising Sun and knew that this was a tavern, a tavern that surprisingly he'd never been in.

Suddenly he found a plan forming in his head. A plan to scare Merlin off this whole trip and get him to return the crystal.

"Do you know what a long trip needs _Mer_lin?" Arthur asked gleefully, "A nice tankard of mead."


	8. Chapter 8

Here's another one for you. Thanks to everyone. Enjoy. x

* * *

Nimueh moved through the forest faster than she ever had before. She knew that she would beat the group of knights to the tower, if that was their destination, as she knew all the shortcuts through the forest. Her mind was focused on one thing, the young warlock in her tower.

She cursed herself for becoming so relaxed. In the early days she had strengthened her spells on the tower and the surrounding forest daily, wary of any detection that could give them away. However, after eighteen years without even a hint of detection, she had been lured into a false sense of security, believing that no one would ever find her prize.

As the tower came into view Nimueh found herself tensing with apprehension. She didn't break her stride until she had reached the foot of the tower. Glancing up at the window she called up to Merlin, praying that he was still there.

"Darling, let your mother up!"

Silence followed her words. Nimueh took a deep breath, trying to calm the panic that was starting to well up inside of her. Merlin didn't always respond instantly, it took him time to reach the window.

"Darling hurry up!"

Still no response. Nimueh was having trouble suppressing the worry now as there was still nothing from the young warlock.

"Merlin this is no time for one of your jokes!" She snapped.

Even her angry shout produced nothing but silence. Fear was flooding through Nimueh now as she realised no reply was going to come from the tower.

"_R__í__ce __æ__t__í__ewan b__é__ting_."

Nimueh cast the spell that Merlin had been using all these years and the golden rope appeared in front of her, heading up into the tower. Nimueh had always been able to cast the spell; however it did take a lot out of her. However, when she had discovered how easily Merlin could cast the spell she had taken advantage of his skill.

Wrapping one hand securely in the rope Nimueh's eyes flashed gold and the rope started to pull her upwards, moving her towards the window. It seemed to take an age but eventually she was inside the tower.

"Merlin!" She called again, still hoping that maybe Merlin was just injured somewhere and unable to reach the window rather than missing.

However there was no reply and after searching every room, which didn't take long in the small tower, Nimueh had to conclude that he was really gone. A cry of frustration and anger tore from her lips and she felt her magic explode out of her in anger. It rocked through the tower, destroy many of their meagre possessions.

Nimueh finally managed to get herself under control and she took a few calming breaths. Thinking rationally again Nimueh took another glance around the main room, looking for any clue that would tell her who had taken Merlin or where they'd gone.

As she turned something sparkled in the corner of her eye, catching her attention. She turned towards it and spotted a loose floorboard at the foot of the stairs. Moving towards it she realised that the sparkle was coming from the gap beneath the floorboard. Bending down she prised up the loose floorboard and stared down at the pouch within.

The pouch hadn't been closed properly and, when it had been placed under the floorboard, its contents had spilled out. Nimueh could see the crystal poking out of the top. She picked it up carefully and poured the crystal into the palm of her hand. Nimueh recognised it instantly, however the moment both her hands clasped it, images flashed into her brain.

Merlin gazing up in awe at the tall buildings of Camelot, Merlin and a blonde leaning close to each other as the lights rose around them, Merlin cowering on the floor of the tower with his wrists and ankles bound in chains.

Nimueh dropped the crystal instinctively as the images faded. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the images that seemed to have etched themselves on the inside of her mind. Pushing them aside she turned back to the crystal. She recognised it as the Crystal of Neahtid.

"Pendragon!" She growled furiously.

She knew exactly who had been in the tower, the crystal said it all. She was there when they discovered it and she knew exactly what it did. Nimueh cursed, not for the first time, the whole Pendragon family. It had been a long time but they were going to learn, once again, to fear her. She just hoped that she wasn't too late to prevent the terrible torture they could be inflicting upon Merlin.

x-x-x

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Merlin asked as he hesitated in the doorway.

Arthur smirked as he peered over Merlin's shoulder and surveyed the bustling room in front of them. He knew how risky it was to be here, anyone could recognise him and send word back to his father. However the fearful look on Merlin's face convinced him that he was doing the right thing. If he could convince the younger boy that it was a mistake for him to leave then they could forget the whole journey and he wouldn't have to go all the way to Camelot.

"Of course I'm sure _Mer_lin." Arthur drawled, steering him further into the room.

He could practically feel the apprehension pouring off the young warlock as he gazed around the room with wide eyes. Merlin had never seen so many people before. In fact before Arthur he had never seen anyone other than his mother, and now he was in a room crowded full of half drunk strangers. He was suddenly realising just how unprepared he was to meet the outside world.

"But I thought you said we weren't going to make it if we wasted any more time." Merlin protested, backing away towards the door.

"Well we've got time for a quick drink." Arthur replied, grabbing Merlin's shoulders as he tried to leave, "Come on Merlin have a seat, relax."

"I really don't think..."

"And that's how things should stay." Arthur smirked, "Now have a seat."

"Why?" Merlin asked petulantly.

"Because I said so." Arthur replied, pushing Merlin down into the seat.

"Who died and made you king?" Merlin pouted.

"No one...yet." Arthur muttered under his breath.

"What?" Merlin asked, frowning at the conflicted look that crossed Arthur's face.

"Nothing." He replied quickly, "I'll go get us a drink, just stay here."

And with that Arthur turned and headed towards the bar, leaving the nervous warlock behind him. The prince smirked to himself as he leant against the bar. Staring around the room he watched the rowdy drunks laughing loudly together. He took a swift glace back at Merlin and saw his eyes darting round the room nervously.

A small pang of guilt settled in Arthur's chest as he realised just how petrifying the amount of people must be to Merlin, who had only ever seen one person in his whole life, excluding Arthur. However the prince pushed that aside, convincing himself that he was doing this for Merlin's own good. The poor kid was clearly not in a fit state to leave the tower; he was too naive for his own good. If he couldn't survive here then there was no way he would be able to handle Camelot.

Convinced that he was doing the right thing Arthur turned back to the bar. He glanced up in to see a man and a woman serving people. The woman had dark skin and hair that fell around her shoulders in tight curls. The man next to her had lighter skin and his brown hair curled softly around his ears. Arthur watched the pair of them for a moment and it didn't take long for him to realise that they were a couple.

Catching the woman's eye, Arthur indicated he was waiting to be served. The women headed his way, a warm smile upon her lips.

"What can I get you sir?" She asked politely.

"Two tankards of mead." Arthur requested.

He watched her as she grabbed two cups and swiftly started filling them. Arthur found himself admiring her exotic beauty and suddenly realised he was staring. Pulling his gaze away from her he glanced down the bar towards the man serving, who was watching Arthur warily.

"So, do you two own this place?" He asked, striking up a conversation.

The woman glanced down the bar as well and a small smile appeared on her face as her gaze landed on her co-worker.

"Yes. Lancelot bought this place as a wedding present to me and we've been running it ever since."

Arthur felt a pang of jealousy that the pair of them had such happy simple life; however he swiftly pushed this aside. The women placed the two full tankards on the bar and glanced over Arthur's shoulder.

"You might want to warn your friend." She advised.

Arthur followed the woman's eye line and spotted Merlin sat where he had left him. However he wasn't alone. Another man sat opposite him, leaning towards Merlin. Arthur had expected Merlin to look uncomfortable or even afraid of the man, however he was neither. Instead Merlin was laughing happily with the stranger.

"He's not my friend." Arthur practically growled as he glared at the pair.

"Oh I just presumed because you arrived together, I didn't mean to assume anything." The woman corrected quickly, stumbling over her words as she tried to get them out so fast.

"It's okay." Arthur replied wearily, smiling reassuringly at her.

"I just thought I'd inform you as, by the looks of things, Gwaine's found his new muse." She continued warningly, "And what Gwaine wants, he usually gets."

Arthur sighed, trust Merlin to attract trouble.

"Thank you..."

"Gwen." She replied with a smile, "Well it's Guinevere. But most people just call me Gwen."

"Well thank you Guinevere." Arthur repeated, causing a faint blush to rise to Gwen's cheeks.

"Enjoy your drink your highness."

Arthur had half turned towards Merlin when he froze and turned back to face Gwen. She smiled at him reassuringly.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Arthur nodded his thanks and then headed back towards Merlin. As he reached the table he heard Merlin laugh again and realised that, prior to now, he had never actually heard the young warlock laugh.

He placed a tankard down in front of Merlin, perhaps a tad more aggressively than was necessary. It caught the two men's attention however, as they both glanced up to look at him.

"Making friends?" Arthur asked Merlin.

Merlin didn't seem to notice the patronising tone in Arthur's voice but Gwaine certainly did. The broader man frowned at Arthur as the prince took a seat next to Merlin.

"Yeah. Arthur this is Gwaine." Merlin replied brightly.

"Pleasure." Arthur responded dryly.

"Likewise." Gwaine replied in the same tone.

By this point Merlin had picked up on the animosity between the pair and he glanced between them, unsure why they seemed to have taken an instant disliking to each other.

"So," Gwaine continued, turning back to Merlin, "Tell me about this exciting trip of yours." He asked with a flirtatious smile.

"We're going to Camelot to see the floating lights." Merlin replied, his face lighting up with excitement.

"Camelot you say?" Gwaine asked, shooting Arthur a knowing look.

"Yeah. I've watched them from my window every year but I've never actually seen them up close."

"And dear Arthur is taking you, how noble of him." Gwaine smirked, "Well if he ever bails on you, come and find me. I'd be happy to show you anything you want."

Gwaine's voice was laced with innuendo and a low growl tore from Arthur's throat. A sudden wave of protectiveness towards Merlin had flooded into him. The blonde had no idea where it had come from, especially as he had had no qualms with scaring Merlin enough to get him to return to the tower earlier. Arthur frowned, wondering when things had become so complicated.

x-x-x

Leon pulled his horse up as Gilli stopped in front of him.

"It's no good, I've lost the signature." Gilli sighed.

"How can you have lost it?" Leon snapped, the stress getting to him.

"I don't know, Morgause must be blocking me."

Leon sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. This was the most promising lead they'd had all day but once again they were at a dead end. Leon had no idea where to look for the prince next. Normally they had some idea as to where the heir to the throne was headed but this time they had no clue. From all accounts he was looking for Emrys, and Leon knew what a dead end that was having participated in many searches himself. The prince could have gone in any direction.

Pressing his horse into a slow walk, Leon started to move the group forward, knowing they were unlikely to find the prince if they were just standing there mourning the loss of their lead. Rounding the corner they found themselves in a small clearing with a tavern in the middle. Leon spotted the sign that read The Rising Sun and wondered if they might find some leads in there. Maybe some of the locals would have seen the missing prince and the Le Fay sisters.


	9. Chapter 9

So I definitely did not expect to get this up on time this week. However I have just spent all evening on this, rather than my revision, in order to get it up on time for you! :D Huge thanks once again to all those of you taking the time to read this. I just had a check at the amount of people that have this story on alert and was amazed by the number of you! I would love to hear from more of you! As always, special thanks have to go to those of you who have reviewed, I love reading your comments!

Anyway things are really starting to pick up more and many of your unanswered questions should hopefully be answered soon. Enjoy. x

* * *

"So how did you two meet?"

Arthur frowned at Gwaine question. It sounded a lot like something people asked of couples, and he and Merlin were definitely _not _a couple. There was something about the way Gwaine had been questioning them that made Arthur think he knew more than he was letting on. The knowing looks he was throwing the blonde did nothing but confirm that suspicion.

"It's a long story." Arthur replied shortly.

"Well I'm not going anywhere." Gwaine replied smoothly.

"It all started when Arthur broke into the tower and..." Merlin began.

"Oh look at the time; we really have to get going if we're going to make it to Camelot." Arthur cut in.

"But I haven't finished the story." Merlin complained, frowning at Arthur.

The blonde had been in a strange mood since he had returned from the bar, Merlin thought in irritation. It had been his stupid idea to come here and now he was acting as if he wanted to leave as soon as possible. Merlin didn't understand Arthur, he seemed to be more temperamental that his mother. Merlin could predict her random mood changes however he didn't seem to be able to predict where the blonde's mood was going to go next. Gwaine on the other hand seemed much easier to understand. Merlin could see he was just being nice and friendly, unlike Arthur's suddenly cold demeanour.

"Well we haven't got time for it; you want to get to Camelot in time to see the lights don't you?"

"But it was your idea to come here in the first place, what was the point if you were just going to drag me out of here the moment you got bored?" Merlin pointed out angrily.

He didn't understand what it was about Arthur, but something about him just seemed to drive the young warlock mad, yet intrigue him at the same time.

"Stop complaining and get up. We're leaving." Arthur replied irritably.

Arthur didn't know what it was but something about the way Merlin was talking to Gwaine was making his blood boil. Maybe it was the fact that, even though he didn't want to admit it, he had kind of enjoyed having Merlin so reliant on him and it frustrated him to see that dependence slowly waning.

"I'm not going anywhere, not until I've finished my drink." Merlin declared.

As he spoke Merlin picked up his half empty mug, spilling some of it as he did. Arthur rolled his eyes as he realised that Merlin was slightly drunk. Trust him to get stuck with the most lightweight warlock in the whole kingdom.

Arthur attempted to take the tankard out of Merlin's hand, which resulted in the young warlock trying to hold it away from the blonde. The end product was that Merlin spilt even more of his drink and Arthur only succeeded in becoming more irritated.

"Prat." Merlin announced, much louder than was normal, smirking at Arthur.

"Ladies please." Gwaine stepped in.

He had watched the pair with some amusement but, spotting the stormy look that had appeared on Arthur's face, he realised now was the time to put a stop to it.

"As entertaining as it is to watch you two bickering, I hate to see good drink being wasted." He continued, indicating Merlin's drink, which was more on the table than in the mug.

Merlin giggled as he spotted the mess he had made, causing Arthur to roll his eyes in despair. He realised it was futile to argue with the young warlock in the state he was in. Arthur was rather surprised that Merlin had managed to get this tipsy on the small amount he had had.

"He called you a lady." Merlin whispered to Arthur with a giggle.

Well he attempted to whisper but it came out much louder than it would have normally, causing Gwaine to smile fondly at him.

"He called you one too." Arthur replied dryly, once again glaring at Gwaine.

However Gwaine's attention was distracted from the pair as he heard a commotion outside. Glancing out of the large windows he spotted a group of horses pulling up outside the tavern. Their riders dismounted, securing their mounts to the poles outside. Gwaine recognised the tell-tale red capes that marked the group as knights of Camelot.

Glancing back at Arthur Gwaine knew exactly why they were there. It wasn't often that they got patrols from Camelot around here, and never as large as the one outside. It was clear they were after their prince. Gwaine wasn't sure who Arthur thought he was fooling but the older man would bet a whole tankard of mead that at least half the people in the room had recognised the prince by now. However they had the sense not to mention it, knowing that there was no way the prince would be here normally, without an entourage, unless he didn't want to be noticed. And those who were too drunk to realise this were also too drunk to notice that Arthur was the prince.

"Arthur!"

The trio heard Gwen's shout and, as one, they turned to look at her. It seemed she had spotted the group outside and made the same connections Gwaine had. It looks like we're in for a fight, Gwaine thought with glee. He downed his remaining drink, waste not want not.

Arthur had followed Gwen's gaze and spotted the group himself. He recognised Leon instantly and knew that he was in deep trouble if they spotted him. Grabbing Merlin by his shirt he dragged the unsuspecting warlock towards the bar. The pair of them ducked behind it, Merlin clueless as to what was going on.

"What are you doing?" Merlin protested, only to have Arthur place his hand over Merlin's mouth.

"Hush." He warned, "They can't know I'm here."

Merlin remained quiet as the tavern door opened and the group entered. Arthur's rather abrupt actions had sobered him up slightly and he peered round the bar at the group. His first impression was that the group looked rather majestic. Their red cloaks swirled round them and the logo emblazoned on their chest instantly made Merlin think of the powerful knights from his books.

He wondered why Arthur was hiding from the group if they were knights, weren't they supposed to be the good guys? A worrying thought crossed Merlin's mind, what if Arthur was a criminal on the run? However he didn't have time to fully panic about that thought as the leader of the group spoke.

"We are looking for the Prince of Camelot." He announced loudly.

The tavern had fallen silent when the knights had arrived. Most people around these parts had only seen the knights of Camelot during important occasions, and even then from a distance. They had never expected to see them here.

"There is a handsome reward for anyone with information as to his whereabouts." Leon continued.

Arthur had been watching all this unfold from their hiding place and he closed his eyes as Leon spoke, praying that no one was going to give them away. He cursed silently as he heard Gwaine start to speak.

"Why would the prince be here?" Gwaine drawled.

Arthur's eyes shot open in shock and he stared at the older man. He had been expecting Merlin's new friend to give him away in an instant and was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't.

"We believe he is in the area." Leon replied coolly.

"Well he's certainly not here, is he boys?" Gwaine asked lightly.

Once again Arthur felt his heart sink. He had no idea what game Gwaine was playing but he had no doubt that at least one other person would have recognised him and would now inform the knights. Arthur tightened his grip on his sword, preparing for a fight. He had no intention of letting Leon and the others take him back to Camelot. He had not yet had a chance to find Emrys, and somehow the thought of leaving Merlin alone to fend for himself filled Arthur with more determination to get out of here undetected.

However, unbeknown to Arthur, Gwaine had a lot of influence over the frequent visitors of the tavern. His regular appearances had led to most of the tavern being indebted to him in some form or another. The vast status that he commanded meant that the rest of the room would follow his lead. Also they could feel the tension brewing, and none of them would pass up the opportunity for a good fight.

Leon looked around in despair as they shook their heads and muttered noises to confirm Gwaine's words. He had been sure that someone here would have heard something at the least that would point them in the right direction. He focused his attention back on Gwaine. Leon had the feeling that he knew more than he was letting on.

"Are you sure?" Leon pressed.

"No actually I lied the first time, he's really hidden behind the bar." Gwaine replied sarcastically, "Of course I'm sure."

"I'm not sure I like your tone." Leon frowned, stress and frustration making him more irritable than normal.

Arthur didn't hear Gwaine's reply as he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. He turned to see Gwen crouched down, Lancelot beside her.

"We have to get you out of here." Gwen whispered, "If Gwaine continues the way he's going he's going to piss them off enough that they'll demand to search the place."

Arthur sighed in despair, realising that Gwaine's attempts to distract Leon and the others may end up getting him into more trouble.

"There's a second way out of here your highness." Lancelot spoke for the first time, "Behind the shelves near the back is a passageway. If you follow it to the end you'll come up near Camelot."

Arthur turned to see the shelves Lancelot was indicating. However Merlin was gazing ahead blankly, his mind spinning. He had been confused enough when the knights had started asking for the Prince of Camelot. He had thought that it had all been a misunderstanding and Arthur had been hiding because he had thought they were someone else. However then the bartender had addressed Arthur as 'your highness', which blew that theory out of the water.

He turned to stare at Arthur. Could he really be the Prince of Camelot? If he was Merlin didn't understand why he hadn't just told him. But if he was it opened a whole new can of worms. Why was Arthur hiding from his own knights? And why had he been so against going to Camelot if he was the heir to the throne? Was he running away?

Merlin's thoughts were interrupted as Arthur grabbed his arm, demanding his attention. Merlin focused his gaze on the blonde, feeling uncomfortably sober after all of this. However he was distracted from his thoughts as Arthur started making weird hand signals. He was clearly trying to tell Merlin something silently but the young warlock had no idea what he was on about.

"What?" He hissed quietly, confused as to why Arthur was trying to complicate things.

"Follow me." Arthur whispered, rolling his eyes at Merlin's incompetence.

With that Arthur set off towards the back of the pub. Darting out from behind the bar to crouch behind another table the pair slowly made their way towards the shelves and the passage hidden behind. They were nearing the place Lancelot had indicated and Arthur was starting to think that maybe they were going to be able to get out of there unnoticed. However that was when he heard someone cry;

"There he is!"

Arthur hissed in frustration, recognising the voice as one of his newest knights. Making a mental note to make sure he was on night patrol for a month when he returned to Camelot, Arthur quickened his pace towards the shelves. He had straightened up, knowing there was no point trying to hide now that they had been spotted.

Leon spotted the flash of blonde hair as the knight shouted. He growled in frustration as he realised that the prince had nearly escaped their clutches once again.

"Oh you're looking for _that _prince." Gwaine intoned with mock surprise, "Sorry, my mistake."

And with that he grabbed the nearest pitcher and swung it at Leon's head. It missed the knight by a millimetre, spilling its contents as it went.

"Such a waste." Gwaine sighed as he dodged the punch Leon threw at him.

A full blown fight had broken out by now and Arthur was having to force his way towards the back, pushing people aside to try and create a path for them both. Everyone seemed to be fighting everyone else and Arthur had to dodge of few blows of his own. Glancing behind him to make sure Merlin was still with him Arthur noticed how Merlin didn't seem to have had to lift a finger however there was no sign that he had been hit.

Busy looking back at his companion, Arthur didn't notice the man heading towards him until it was too late. A searing pain shot through his arm as a knife cut through his skin. Before Arthur had a chance to react the man was suddenly flying backwards away from them, only stopping to crash into the far wall.

Confused as to what had just happened Arthur glanced back at Merlin to see the gold fading from his eyes. It seemed the young warlock was not as defenceless as Arthur had first thought. Pushing the pain in his arm to the back of his mind Arthur focused on getting through the rest of the fighting crowd.

Finally they reached the back of the room and the spot Lancelot had pointed out. Arthur instantly pressed his shoulder to the shelves trying to move them out of the way. However all it took was a muttered word from Merlin and they were swiftly sliding aside, revealing the tunnel behind. Letting out a sigh of relief Arthur quickly ducked into it, followed close behind by Merlin.

x-x-x

Nimueh seethed as she stood outside The Rising Sun. Through the windows she had seen the whole thing unfold; having arrived shortly after the knights had entered. The moment she had spotted Merlin she had wanted to burst in there and make sure he was okay. However she had quelled the impulse, knowing that she was vastly outnumbered and that it was not a good idea for the knights to see her. Especially knowing Uther's fondness, or lack of it, for her.

Instead she had had to watch silently as Merlin had followed, what she could only assume was the Pendragon brat. It had been a long time since she had last seen him, and he had certainly grown up. However that didn't quell her hatred for him and everything he stood for.

She saw the stupid knights' fall for the cocky man's words; though she couldn't hear what they were saying she could tell enough from their postures. She had nearly screamed in frustration as the fight had broken out. She had been hoping that the knights would drag the prince back to Camelot, leaving Merlin alone and in desperate need of saving. That would have been the point she entered, the forgiving mother, ready to take him home.

Unfortunately it had been obvious to her that the pair were going to escape. However what had unsettled her the most was the way Merlin had protected Arthur without a second thought, his magic reacting instinctively to throw his attacker across the room. That was the moment that Nimueh realised she might have a problem. He plan had been to find them, kill the prince and take Merlin home.

But by the looks of things Merlin had become attached to the Pendragon brat. She had thought he had been taken against his will but it seemed that Merlin was less of a prisoner than she had thought. This could be problematic. However, if Merlin had left of his own free will, Nimueh knew exactly where they would be heading. There was one thing outside of the tower that Merlin wanted more than anything.

Nimueh smiled, turning away from the window and heading into the forest. She knew roughly where the tunnel they had fled through came out. And now she knew where they were heading she could cut them off. She was going to bring Merlin home, no matter what the cost.


	10. Chapter 10

So I'm only two days late with this, it could be worse. Anyway just a word of warning, my exams start next week so updates in June may be temperamental. But after that I've finished school forever (a scary thought) so you'll have me all to yourselves. ;)

Anywho...we've finally reached double figures! Huge thanks to all of your reading and reviewing. The general consensus seems to be that everyone loves Gwaine (who wouldn't), he will be making another appearance, don't fret. :D Enjoy.

* * *

The tunnel was dark and damp and Arthur found himself having to stoop as he moved forward. The sounds of the fight they had left behind them echoed up through the tunnel, bouncing around the pair making them feel disorientated. They were trying to move forward as swiftly as possible but the further they moved from the tavern the darker the tunnel became and Arthur was having to slow his pace to prevent himself from walking into anything. The dark seemed to be pressing in on all sides and, to Arthur, the end of the tunnel couldn't come sooner.

Merlin on the other hand had no problem with the dark. Having spent many nights alone in the tower he had learnt to make the blackness into his friend. His eyes, much sharper than the prince's, were able to pick out the vague outline of the rocks around them and the shape of Arthur in front of him. The reassuring presence of the blonde comforted him more than he'd thought it would. It was nice not to be alone for once, to know he had someone else he could rely on.

After a few more paces Arthur found the tunnel around him widening and he straightened up, his back aching after being bent over for so long. Still in the dark the pair continued forward in silence, both straining their eyes to see some sign that they were nearing the end.

Another step forward found Arthur with his foot in a puddle. He pulled back but the water had already leaked into his boot, soaking his foot. Merlin, not having noticed that Arthur had stopped, walked right into the back of him. He staggered backwards, grabbing onto the wall for support he found himself standing in another puddle.

"It's wet up here, watch your step." Arthur warned, ignoring Merlin's collision.

Arthur's voice echoed around them in the cavern and the blonde felt a shiver run up his spine as his eyes racked the dark, trying to make sure they were alone. Unable to make anything out Arthur let out the breath he hadn't noticed he was holding. Starting forward again Arthur tried to avoid the more frequent puddles but, being unable to see, he didn't seem to be making a good job of it.

Soon the pair found the puddles becoming one, filling the bottom of the tunnel. By this point their feet were soaked through and they were squelching through the water. Unfortunately Merlin, who wasn't the most coordinated at the best of times, was having trouble preventing himself from falling. The wet rock underfoot was slippery and that, combined with his wet shoes, did not make for the best grip.

That was the moment that a shout echoed up the tunnel, much louder than the previous noises from the tavern. Glancing round the pair spotted the silhouette of a figure stood at the entrance of the tunnel. As they watched it was joined by another and they figures started to move into the tunnel.

"Run." Arthur hissed, grabbing Merlin's arm and pulling him forward.

The pair ran forward, splashing through the water. The sound echoed around them. They had abandoned silence in preference to speed. Arthur was soaked up to his waist as the water splashed around them. He was finding it harder and harder to move forward. His waterlogged trousers and boots weighing him down.

Merlin was having a similar problem which, combined with his natural clumsiness, meant that he was finding it harder to remain on his feet. Suddenly he found himself slipping on a particularly unsteady patch and he threw his arms out, try to grab hold of something to prevent himself from falling. His finger found a protruding rock and he tried to grab hold of it, only to find it come loose under his grasp. The young warlock fell against the wall and felt something give. Scrambling to his feet he heard the groan of the rocks before something started to fall. Moving towards Arthur Merlin found his gaze locked on the spot where he had just been stood and the small patch of light in the distance.

Unfortunately the light seemed to be disappearing as rocks fell from the wall he had loosened onto the path which they had just travelled. Arthur, spotting the danger they were in, grabbed Merlin's arm and started pulling him further into the tunnel. The sound of falling rock echoed around them and Arthur had no idea whether they were any safer ahead but he kept moving, knowing they couldn't stay still.

As suddenly as the rock had started falling, the sound stopped. The pair paused as silence fell around them, eerie after the loud noise. The falling rock had blocked out any light that had been filtering in from the tavern, leaving them in pitch black.

"What did you do?" Arthur asked slowly, trying not to shout at the young warlock.

"What makes you think it was my fault?" Merlin replied indignantly, pulling his arm out of Arthur grasp.

"Well I didn't touch anything that would have caused that!" Arthur sighed exasperatedly.

"I didn't mean to." Merlin muttered quietly.

Arthur sighed, realising that arguing wasn't getting them anywhere.

"At least Leon's not going to be able to catch up with us. It looks like we're going to have to continue in the pitch black." Arthur said, calmer than he felt, "Just be careful, try not to touch anything."

Arthur heard Merlin mutter something behind him but just presumed the young warlock was insulting him under his breath. However the moment Merlin finished a blue globe appeared, hovering in the air between them. The gentle blue light filled the tunnel, illuminating the pair of them and the tunnel around them.

The prince turned to stare at his companion in shock. It seemed that Merlin was full of surprises.

"Well that's helpful." Arthur said slowly, feeling a little stunned, "Why didn't you do that earlier?"

Merlin shrugged.

"I don't know. I only just thought of it."

Arthur rolled his eyes but had to admit that the light was really helpful. No longer did he have to feel his way forward as he could see tunnel ahead of him. He set off again, slower this time as he knew there was no way the knights were going to get through that cave in.

Merlin was burning with questions. He really wanted to know who Leon was, and how Arthur had seemed so familiar with the knights. His mind flashed back to the bartender calling Arthur 'your highness' and he burned to ask the blonde what he had meant. However he could tell from Arthur's body language that the other man was in no mood to talk. He knew that Arthur was still annoyed about the cave in and he didn't really want to risk Arthur's reaction.

They continued walking in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Merlin was so absorbed in his pondering of Arthur's identity that he almost walked into the back of the blonde as he stopped abruptly. Peering around him Merlin's gaze fell upon what had stopped him. In front of him was a wall of rock. Denial flooded through the young warlock as he stared at it. Their way forward couldn't really be blocked.

However his light, which floated above their heads, lit up the area around them showing that their way forward was well and truly blocked. A sinking feeling had settled in the pit of Merlin's stomach as he remembered the cave in earlier; they were definitely stuck.

Arthur had moved forward and was now running his hands over the rock in front of them, looking for a way through. The frustrated noise he let out told Merlin that he hadn't found one. Unfortunately for the young warlock, Arthur then turned his annoyed gaze upon him.

"This is all your fault." He snapped.

"Why is everything always my fault?" Merlin retorted angrily, glaring back, "It was you who dragged us into this tunnel in the first place."

"I was the one that found us an escape route!" Arthur yelled, "You were the one that caused the cave in!"

"And why did we need an escape route?" Merlin hissed, "Because _your highness _ran away from daddy's men."

The silence that followed Merlin's words seemed to echo all around them. The young warlock instantly regretted his angry reply as a look of utter fury crossed Arthur's face. Merlin's eyes widened in fear and he took a step backwards away from Arthur as he could practically feel the anger pouring from him.

Arthur was working really hard not to explode at the boy in front of him. He knew nothing about Arthur's family, nothing about the real reason he was avoiding Leon, and yet he had tried to blame it all on him, to goad him into a reaction. He closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself down. He knew that his temper could be just as bad as his father's however he usually had such a tight control over it, however something about Merlin just seemed to get to him.

Opening his eyes, Arthur froze at the expression on Merlin's face. The look of utter fear in the younger man's expression shocked the blonde. He had been angry, yes, but he hadn't meant to scare the boy so much. There was something about the way Merlin looked at him, the fear in his eyes and shock across his face, that caused a sharp pain in his chest. He had seen fear directed at him before, but it had never made him feel this guilty.

Turning away Arthur ran a hand over his face, calming his raging emotions. Facing the wall that blocked their path Arthur took a deep breath before he spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry."

Merlin blinked in shock as he registered Arthur's words. That was the last thing he had been expecting the blonde to say. If anything he thought he was the one who should be apologising, not Arthur. Though there was no way he was going to point that out.

"As am I."

An uncomfortable silence followed Merlin's words as both men avoided each other's gaze, both looking at anything but the other.

"There must be some way out of here." Arthur spoke, breaking the silence, "Lancelot wouldn't send us down towards a dead end. If he'd wanted Leon to find me he could have just left us there in the tavern."

Merlin nodded slowly as Arthur mused to himself out loud, the young warlock's gaze flittering around, trying to find some clue as to how they were to escape.

"Maybe there's a leaver or something that we have to find which opens up the exit." Arthur wondered aloud.

The blonde continued on like this, running his hands across the rock whist he spoke to himself. Well Merlin presumed Arthur was talking to himself as the young warlock wasn't listening. He was using his magic to try and sense the way out. Unfortunately he wasn't having much luck, having never tried to use his magic this way before.

Glancing down Merlin shivered as the water continued seeping into his skin. He could feel the chill creeping up from the water, spreading through his body. Merlin was about to cast a spell to warm the water up when he froze. He was sure that the water had only been up to his knees when they had stopped, however now it nearly reached his hips. He had been so absorbed in the argument with Arthur and trying to find a way out that he hadn't noticed the water rising.

"Er...Arthur?" He began.

"Hush Merlin." Arthur replied, his attention focused on the wall still.

"Arthur I really think..."

"Wait a minute; I think I've nearly got it." Arthur cut him off.

"Arthur!"

"What?" Arthur snapped, turning to glare at Merlin.

"The water's rising." Merlin stated simply.

Arthur glanced down, suddenly noticing that Merlin was right. The water, which easily reached his hips, was slowly creeping higher and higher. He looked back at Merlin, noting the panic that had appeared on his face.

"Okay." He said slowly, "So now we urgently need to find a way out of here."

Merlin could feel the fear flooding through him as he realised that they could actually die here. Since leaving the tower everything had seemed like such a big adventure. Even when they had entered the tavern and had then had to hide from the knights he hadn't really been afraid. None of it had seemed real enough to actually hurt them. And he'd trusted that if they were in danger Arthur, or his magic, could protect them.

But this wasn't the same as someone attacking or chasing them. The fear of drowning seemed so much more real because there was nothing to fight against, nothing that they could see as their enemy. The water wasn't quite the same because there was no way they could stop it. He was using all his willpower to try and find a way to use his magic to slow the water down but nothing seemed to be working.

"Can't you use your magic to stop the water?" Arthur asked desperately.

"I'm trying, it's not working."

After a few more moments Merlin gave up on the water and focused his attention on trying to find a way out of the tunnel. Closing his eyes he focused all his will on a way out. Suddenly he felt something click inside of him and he practically shoved his magic out of him. His eyes snapped open and he felt the familiar heat behind his eyelids that told him his eyes were blazing gold.

As soon as it had started he felt his magic calm and his eyes fade back to their normal blue. He blinked a few times, staring around him he tried to see what his magic had done. However he saw no sign of an exit.

"What did you do?" Arthur asked, silently praying that Merlin was going to tell him he'd found a way out of there.

"I'm not entirely sure." Merlin replied slowly.

Arthur rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded a lot like 'idiot' to Merlin. However the warlock's attention was soon distracted as the blue light he had conjured moved in front of him, bobbing up and down in front of his face. The moment Merlin gave it his full attention it started to move slowly upwards. Merlin watched it for a moment before it suddenly dawned upon him and he realised what his magic had done.

"We have to climb up."

"What?" Arthur asked bemused.

"Look." Merlin stated, pointing at the rising light, "It's showing us the way out of here."

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked sceptically, unsure that Merlin knew what he was talking about.

"Positive."

Arthur still looked disbelieving.

"Look what have we got to lose." Merlin reasoned, "We can't stay here, we're going to drown if we do."

Arthur sighed, knowing that Merlin was right. The water was at his waist by this point and rising fast. Wading over to the wall Arthur reached up and grabbed hold of a protruding rock. Swiftly finding a foothold he managed to pull himself out of the water. His wet clothes weighed him down however he forced himself to keep going. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Merlin next to him doing the same.

The pair started to climb. Slowly at first however they soon got into the rhythm and were able to speed up. But no matter how fast they climbed the water seemed to rise even quicker. Although they had pulled themselves out of it to start with Merlin could definitely feel it lapping at his heels as he forced himself to push on. His muscles were screaming at him, never having had to work this hard before, and he really wanted to let go and allow the water to claim him.

"Come on Merlin."

Arthur's shout snapped Merlin's attention back to the climb and he glanced up to see that Arthur was ahead of him. The blonde was staring down at him, willing him to climb faster. Merlin grit his teeth, forcing himself to keep moving. He knew that if he stopped he'd never start climbing again.

Soon Merlin noticed that it was getting lighter. He quickly glanced upwards, spotting the sky above them. Relief flooded through him as he realised that they were nearly out. However by this point the water had reached his knees and Merlin found his footing slipping.

Arthur reached up and found the opening above him. Grabbing hold he pulled himself up and out of the tunnel, collapsing on the grass. He breathed a sigh of relief that he was finally out of the tunnel. He fully expected to see Merlin pulling himself after him however he didn't appear.

Crawling back towards the edge he had just pulled himself over Arthur peered down. He spotted Merlin's tousled hair almost at the top.

"Come on Merlin, you're nearly there." Arthur called, reaching down towards Merlin.

There was a horrible moment where Arthur feared that Merlin was going to give up and let the water take him. However the young warlock reached up, grasping Arthur's arm. The blonde gripped hold of Merlin's arm and started to pull him up. His muscles strained with the exertion but he eventually managed to pull the other boy over the edge.

The pair collapsed on the grass, breathing heavily. Merlin rolled onto his back, staring up at the sky above him. He felt the familiar twinge of his magic that meant that his light had faded and returned to him. Closing his eyes Merlin sighed happily before he spoke.

"I really hope we don't have to go back that way."

x-x-x

The gold faded from Morgause's eyes and, from the look on her face, Morgana could tell that their plan hadn't been successful. After being unable to track Arthur through her Sight Morgana had thought they had reached a dead end. However Morgause had one more trick up her sleeve.

She had managed to track the magical presence that had been blocking Arthur. They had followed it through the forest and it had led them here. It had taken Morgause a while to work out that the prince was beneath them. So she had sent out her magic and set a trap, trying to drown the prince and his companion.

However the frustrated frown that had appeared on Morgause's face was telling the raven haired women that something had gone wrong.

"He has help." Morgause hissed, "Magical help."

"Emrys?" Morgana asked eagerly, hoping the prince had located the lost sorcerer.

"Possibly." Morgause pondered, "If it is that would make our job a lot easier."

"I take it they are still alive." Morgana asked tentatively.

"Unfortunately." Morgause hissed, "Do not worry sister dear, we will make sure they get what they deserve."


	11. Chapter 11

I'm back! Sorry it's been a while, exams and all. Anyway here's a new chapter for you. Hopefully things will get back on track on the update front. I'm going away on Saturday for a week and won't be able to update then. I will try and have a chapter up before then but if not I'll see you the week after. Enjoy! x

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Neither of them knew how long they had been lying there but eventually Arthur's breathing calmed and he sat up with a sigh. Glancing over at Merlin he saw that the young warlock was still lying on the grass with his eyes shut, his chest rising and falling regularly. Arthur found himself studying the younger man for a moment, frowning at the strange desire that had settled in his chest to keep Merlin safe from the world.

Shaking his head to try and rid it of the weird thoughts that were crawling in, Arthur let out a long sigh. Glancing to his side he spotted a twig next to him which he promptly picked up and threw at Merlin. The young warlock sat bolt upright as it hit him. His eyes, wide open with shock, darted around, trying to find the threat. Arthur had to subdue the laugh that wanted to escape him.

A frown appeared on Merlin's face as he realised that it was Arthur who had thrown the twig at him. Narrowing his eyes he watched as the blonde started to climb to his feet, a smug grin plastered across his face. A smirk replaced Merlin's frown as his eyes flashed gold and Arthur found himself slipping and landing ungracefully back on the grass.

Merlin doubled over with laughter at the look of utter surprise on Arthur's face, however the laughter quickly died away as Merlin saw Arthur grimace and clutch at his injured arm. Merlin was up and by his side in a second, pushing up the sleeve of his shirt and inspecting the wound. Luckily for the blonde it wasn't too deep and Merlin was swiftly fumbling at his shirt for the chain that was hidden underneath it, ready to cast the spell that would heal Arthur's wounds.

However the blonde had other ideas. He yanked his arm out of Merlin's grip and quickly started to tear the fabric of his shirt and bind his wound.

"Oh don't do that." Merlin sighed, "Just let me see, I could fix it."

"Of course you could _Mer_lin." Arthur replied sarcastically as he stared around, "I think I know where we are, come on."

Merlin frowned confused as Arthur started heading off into the trees. He didn't understand why Arthur hadn't wanted his help. Merlin could heal his wound in a second yet Arthur acted as if he didn't believe Merlin capable. The young warlock watched Arthur march off into the trees.

"Are you coming Merlin?" Arthur yelled back.

Merlin rolled his eyes at the arrogant tone in Arthur voice before following him through the forest.

The pair walked on through the forest in the direction that Arthur was convinced Camelot lay, though Merlin had his doubts. However they had already argued over the direction of their travel and Merlin had no desire to repeat the conversation. Instead he settled for a smug smile as they found their way blocked by a wide river.

Arthur frowned as he stared at the body of water in front of them. He had been sure that he knew where he was however he had not expected to meet a river. A river which seemed to have no way across it.

"I hate to say it but..." Merlin started.

Arthur whirled round to face him, pointing a demanding finger in his face.

"Don't say it." He warned, "Don't even think it."

Merlin clamped his mouth shut but he couldn't help the smug smile that refused to leave his face. Arthur rolled his eyes but turned away without commenting.

"Well it looks like we're at a dead end." Merlin commented as he surveyed the impassable river.

"There's no need to look so smug about it." Arthur grumbled, "If we don't find a way past it it'll be you that misses out on the floating lights."

Arthur's words made the smile fall from Merlin's face and he glared at the blonde before also looking for a way to cross. However the fast moving waters made it impossible for them to walk across, especially as it appeared too deep for them to stand. And Merlin doubted that it would be possible for them to swim across, if he had known how to swim that is.

"Can't you just magic us across?" Arthur asked.

"What?" Merlin replied confused.

"Can't you just say some words and magic us across?" Arthur asked.

Merlin wondered if Arthur was joking but he seemed deadly serious.

"No Arthur. Magic doesn't work like that. I can't just wave my hands and have us on the other side of the river."

Arthur huffed something that sounded to Merlin suspiciously like 'useless sorcerers' but he let it pass, instead wondering what they were going to do next.

"Well I guess we'll just have to start walking and see if there's a way across further downstream." Arthur announced.

Merlin sighed, not liking the sound of more walking, but followed Arthur nonetheless as he set off to his right along the river bank. They hadn't been walking for too long when Merlin spotted two figures up ahead. He couldn't make them out however he realised that this could be their chance to actually find the way.

"Look there's someone up there." Merlin pointed out to Arthur, "We could ask them for directions, maybe they'll know the way to Camelot."

"I don't need to ask for directions." Arthur scoffed, "I have lived in this area my whole life, I know where we're going."

"Arthur just admit it, you have no idea where we are. Look if we're going to make it there on time we may as well..."

Merlin trailed off as he spotted the shocked look on Arthur's face. The blonde had stopped in his tracks and was staring at the figures in the distance. Merlin turned to follow his gaze and saw that the two figures had started to move towards them. He could make out the two women properly now. The tall blonde's gaze seemed to be focused directly on Arthur and there was something about her that Merlin instantly disliked. However he found his attention captured by the raven haired women's beauty. He had never seen a woman like her and his eyes widened as she smiled at him.

However his attention was distracted from her as he heard Arthur let out a low growl of annoyance next to him. Glancing over at the blonde Merlin saw that Arthur was glowering at the two women as they approached.

"Who are they?" Merlin asked under his breath.

He was certain that he hadn't seen these women on their journey but it was obvious that Arthur knew exactly who they were.

"Well I thought they were my friends." Arthur replied quietly.

Merlin knew there was more to the story than Arthur was telling him however he realised that now probably wasn't the time to go into it.

"Let's just say I doubt they're going to give us helpful directions." Arthur continued as the two women came to a stop in front of them.

Now they were so close Merlin could feel the magic inside them both. It was much stronger inside the blonde than the dark haired women. He found himself tensing, his eyes flickering between the two as he magic rose to just beneath his skin, ready to defend them.

"It seems we were destined to meet again little prince." The blonde spoke.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at her. He'd always hated her calling him 'little prince'.

"You know why we're here Arthur." Morgana said coolly, "So just hand it over."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about." Arthur replied innocently.

He felt a flash of satisfaction as he saw annoyance spread across Morgana's face. She had always been so easy to read and he knew that she tend to let her emotions rule her head. Morgause on the other hand was a different matter. For all his bravado he knew she wasn't leaving until she got the amulet. And he wouldn't have given it up even if he'd still had hold of it.

"Arthur just give us the crystal and we'll be on our way." Morgana snapped.

"And here was I thinking that you were helping me out of the goodness of your heart." Arthur snarled, "I should have known that you don't actually have one."

Merlin watched as Morgana's eyes narrowed at Arthur and he felt the magic build up in the air around her. The young warlock found himself tensing, preparing to defend them from an attack. He was fairly confident of his ability to defend against any attack Morgana threw at him, her magic was nothing compared to his mother's who he was used to practicing against.

However Morgause also seemed to realise Morgana's intentions and she placed a warning hand on her sister's arm.

"Pendragon why don't we settle this like grownups and we won't be forced to take what we want by force." She spoke, the threat clear in her voice.

"I'd like to see you try." Arthur smirked, drawing his sword.

Morgause seemed amused by Arthur's attempts at resistance. She calmly muttered a spell, her eyes flashing gold. There was a moment of silence while Arthur waited for the result of Morgause's spell, however nothing seemed to happen.

"Well that was a bit anticlimactic." He said conversationally, raising his eyebrows at Morgause.

The look of frustration that flashed across her face told Arthur that whatever she had tried had not gone the way she had planned. Another flash of golden eyes resulted in the same frustrated look on her face.

Arthur knew the look that had appeared in Morgause's eyes and knew it didn't bode well for him and Merlin. Morgause was used to getting what she wanted and wasn't afraid to destroy anything that got in her way. Despite his lack of magic he could still feel the tension building in the air around them as Morgause narrowed her eyes at the pair of them.

However before anything happened Morgause's attention instantly snapped to Merlin. Arthur found himself moving to the side, trying to block the younger man from the blonde's view.

"You." She hissed angrily.

"Well what did you expect?" Merlin replied, and Arthur couldn't believe he sounded almost cheerful, "That I was going to stand by and let you try and steal from him."

Arthur closed his eyes in despair. He knew that it was never a good idea to antagonise Morgause, however Merlin seemed not to have picked up on that fact.

"You dare to stand in our way?" Morgana asked incredulously.

"Yeah I think I do."

"Merlin." Arthur hissed, "Shut up."

"You should listen to him young warlock." Morgause warned, "You do not want to be on the wrong side."

"I think I'm quite capable of choosing the right side for myself thank you." Merlin replied smugly.

However his newfound confidence started to waver as he felt the power that Morgause was calling up. Morgana place her hand on her sister's shoulder, feeding her own magic into the spell. Eyes wide Merlin cast around for a distraction, hoping that he could find a way to keep both himself and Arthur safe.

"What is she doing?" Arthur asked quietly.

"I have no idea." Merlin muttered.

"You really are useless _Mer_lin." Arthur sighed.

Throwing a swift glare at Arthur Merlin turned back to Morgause, his eyes flashing gold as his magic poured out of him. Morgana screamed as Morgause's dress burst into flame, breaking the blonde's concentration. Morgause's attention was distracted from the pair as she tried to put out the flames that were creeping up her skirt.

"What's the plan now?" Arthur hissed.

"Err...run?" Merlin suggested.

"Seriously?" Arthur asked incredulously.

"Have you got a better idea?" Merlin snapped.

He grabbed hold of Arthur sleeve as he spoke, pulling him back the direction they had come from. The pair set off running, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the sisters as possible. An angry cry came from behind them but Merlin closed his eyes, pushing more magic into the flames he had conjured earlier.

Merlin could feel the blood pounding in his ears as he ran. His heart was pounding with exhilaration and his breath was coming in short bursts. After spending his life living in a confined tower the sudden exertion was taking its toll on him.

"Arthur!" He panted, finding it harder and harder to breath.

Arthur, who had pulled ahead, grabbed hold of Merlin's arm and propelled him along.

"Come on Merlin, it'll be much worse if they catch up with us."

The two of them ran, past the spot where they had first reached the river, further into the trees. They swerved so they were heading away from the river, hoping to lose the two sisters. Slowing slightly Arthur let out a sigh of relief as they didn't seem to be being followed.

They stopped, panting for breath. Merlin doubled over, trying to drag air into his tired lungs, whilst Arthur leant against a tree for support.

"I think we've lost them." Arthur sighed once he had regained his breath.

"Good." Merlin muttered shortly, "I'm not sure I could have run much further."

However their relief was short-lived as the sound of distant hoof beats made them both freeze. They stood stock still in silence, praying that they weren't heading towards them. But all too soon it became apparent that whoever it was were clearly heading their way.

"Oh god." Arthur despaired, backing towards the river.

He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly who it was who was heading towards them.

"Come on, we've got to go." He said, grabbing Merlin's arm and pulling him back towards the river.

The young warlock grumbled in despair at the thought of more running but followed Arthur obediently as they tried to get as far away from the riders as possible. Unfortunately their silent moving wasn't enough and soon a group of riders burst through the trees in front of them, all sporting Camelot's colours.


	12. Chapter 12

So I meant to have this up yesterday but things became a bit hectic so you've got it today instead. However I am going to go back to updating every Tuesday to move back to regular updates. As always it is great to hear from so many of you. I've reached a hundred reviews so thank you all so much! Enjoy. x

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Merlin's eyes widened as he took in the riders advancing towards them. Although he had seen some of these men in the tavern they appeared much more impressive riding towards them on horseback and reminded him of the stories that he used to read when he was younger. He found himself slightly awed by their presence and felt a strong urge to bow to them.

Fortunately Arthur had no such desire as he, once again, grabbed Merlin's arm and started backing them towards the river. His other hand flew to his sword, which he had sheathed whilst they were running, preparing to fight his way out.

"Sire!" Gilli called from his horse, "Please you must return to Camelot with us."

"I take it you know them as well." Merlin asked as he watched Gilli dismount.

"I do, and they're not too keen on me being here." Arthur replied under his breath.

Merlin watched as the rest of the knights dismounted, following Gilli's lead. His eyes flickered around the group, trying to decide who the biggest threat was. He felt magic pouring from a few of them but the strongest force was coming from Gilli and Merlin narrowed his eyes, wondering if they were going to use the same tricks as Morgause.

"I'm not going anywhere Gilli." Arthur replied, "So why don't you go back and tell my father that I will return when I am ready."

"I'm afraid we can't do that."

Both Merlin and Arthur glanced to their right to see who had spoken. Arthur felt his heart sink as Leon walked out the trees, followed by the remaining knights.

"We can't return without you sire, the king would have our heads." Leon continued.

By this point they had reached the edge of the river and the pair didn't have anywhere further to back away to. Merlin glanced fearfully to his left, half expecting to see the two sisters heading towards them. However there was no sign of them and he turned his attention back to Arthur.

"I supposed they're not too keen on you being here either." Merlin muttered to him.

"Let's just presume that I'm not exactly in anyone's good books at the moment." Arthur snapped.

"I can't imagine why." Merlin muttered sarcastically under his breath.

Arthur however chose to ignore Merlin's comment and instead focused back on Leon.

"Leon please, you have to let me finish." Arthur practically begged, "This is important. I'm so close, I can feel it."

Leon was slightly taken aback by Arthur's tone of voice. He had never heard the prince beg for anything yet here he was, practically pleading with Leon to let him continue. As much as Leon admired Arthur's determination he knew that it would be a dereliction of his duties to allow the only heir to the throne to risk his life on such a dangerous task.

"Sire I know you think you can find Emrys but many knights and sorcerers alike have tried and failed to find him, it's unlikely you'd do any different."

"But Leon..."

"Arthur I know you're passionate about this but so many people have lost their lives by following this road, yours is too important to be thrown away like this."

"My life is only half as important without him and you know that." Arthur snapped, "I have to do this."

Merlin was watching the conversation between the two men with curiosity. He only understood half of what they were talking about but from what he had gathered Arthur was looking for someone, someone very important to him. He didn't really understand why this thought made him feel strange, almost jealous. It wasn't like he hadn't known that Arthur had a life outside him, it just seemed to hurt more than he'd thought it would that there was someone this important in Arthur's life.

"Sire our task is to bring you home using any means necessary." Gilli added, "We will use magic if it comes down to that."

Arthur glared at the younger man, hating how defenceless the thought of magic made him feel. Although he trained his knights against magical attacks it was always in groups; magical and non-magical working together. However he was alone against this attack, and he knew that if Gilli decided to knock him out with magic to take him back to Camelot, there wasn't much he could do about it.

Gilli watched Arthur for a moment, waiting for a sign that he was going to surrender. However none came. Instead the prince and his companion started backing away down the river. Gilli glanced at Leon, who nodded, before focusing his attention back on the retreating pair and speaking.

"_Swefecung_."

Arthur watched warily as Gilli's eyes flashed gold however, as had happened with Morgause, nothing seemed to happen. Arthur glanced over at Merlin who smiled innocently back at him. Gilli however frowned at the fact that the prince and his companion were still unconscious. His spell should have sent them off into a peaceful sleep until he cast the spell to waken them. Frustrated Gilli tried another tactic.

"_Á__styntan beinnan steall_." He said with a flash of gold eyes.

Merlin's eyes widened as a flash of light headed towards them. Panicking he threw his hand forward and shouted;

"_Bordrand __ú__s_."

As Merlin's eyes flashed from blue to gold a shield shimmered into existence in the air around him and Arthur. Gilli's spell hit the shield and seemed to be absorbed by it. Silence filled the clearing as the knights stared at Merlin in utter shock. None of them had been expecting Arthur's companion to possess magic, especially magic strong enough to counter them.

Arthur smirked at the shocked look on their faces as Merlin slowly lowered his arm. The young warlock watched the knights carefully however none of them made a move to launch another attack.

"Well this was fun." Arthur said cheerfully, "But I think we'll take our leave gentlemen."

The pair backed away slowly down the river, still keeping a careful eye on the knights. Arthur felt relief rush through him as he realised that they might just be able to make it out of this.

However a rustle behind them caused Arthur to glance over his shoulder whilst Merlin's gaze remaining fixed on the knights. What the blonde saw made his blood run cold and he froze in his tracks. Merlin, noticing Arthur sudden pause, followed his gaze.

Behind them stood Morgana and Morgause, who did not look pleased to see them. They had obviously been able to put out Morgause's dress and follow them whilst they had been distracted with the knights. Merlin swallowed nervously as he saw the look of burning hatred in Morgause's eyes. He knew that they were not going to get away as easily as they had thought.

"Ah Morgause, nice of you to join us." Leon spoke, completely missing the angry looks on the Le Fay sisters' faces, "Are going to help us take the stubborn prince back to Camelot?"

"Actually Sir Leon we have bigger plans for him." Morgana replied sweetly, "But I'm afraid they might not fit in with yours."

Whilst she spoke Merlin's attention had been focused on Morgause who had started chanting under her breath. He recognised some of the words she was saying however he knew that her spell was much more advance than anything his mother had let him study.

Unfortunately he had no more time to ponder that fact as Morgause's eyes flashed gold and a ball of fire was swiftly heading their way. Instinctively Merlin threw up the same shield he had used on Gilli's spell and prayed that it would keep them safe from Morgause's much stronger spell.

To his relief his natural talent seemed to be enough to counter Morgause's vast amount of learnt knowledge. He expected her to follow up her failed attack with countless other spells he'd never heard of however she just stood there, her calculating gaze boring into him.

"How could you...?" She trailed off, "That shouldn't have been possible."

Merlin had no time to ponder over her confusion as the knights had instantly leaped into action. Seeing that the sisters posed a threat to their prince became the priority over taking him back to Camelot. Arthur grabbed Merlin's arm and pulled him out of the way as the knights launched their defensive against Morgause and Morgana. Spells were flying everywhere and Merlin kept the shield around himself and Arthur, preventing any strays from harming them.

They had backed away from the fight that they had ended up in the middle off, trying to find a way to escape unnoticed. However, in all the confusion, they had ended up surrounded with the river to their backs. Arthur sighed as it seemed like once again they were stuck at a dead end.

Merlin on the other hand was casting around, looking for anything that could get them away from here. His gaze landed on a tree near to the riverbank which was only a couple of paces away from them. Indicating to Arthur to follow, Merlin made his way over to it. Pressing his palms to the rough wood he muttered a quick apology to the tree before shutting his eyes, concentrating on his magic.

Unsure of how to properly cast the right spell Merlin resorted to shoving his magic into the tree, trying to achieve his goal. There was a moment when he feared nothing would happen however he soon felt something click inside of him and his magic flooded into the tree. There was a loud crack and Merlin stepped back, watching the tree carefully.

Silence fell across the battle as the tree started to sway dangerously. Arthur stared in shock as the trunk of the tree splintered and the tree fell, landing across the river. He had seen Merlin use magic before but nothing of this calibre. In fact, if he really thought about it, he could count the number of sorcerers he knew who could fell a tree on one hand.

However, before he had a chance to reflect on what a rare feat it actually was, Merlin grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the tree. The pair swiftly made their way across the bridge the tree had made and onto the other side. Arthur feared that Leon and the knights would soon try to follow them however his fears were short-lived as a quick glance backwards revealed that they were still frozen in shock at the sight they had just seen.

Arthur smirked as he saw the look of utter surprise on Morgana's face. He knew that there was no way she'd ever be able to do something of that magnitude, even if she practiced every day for the rest of her life. However his smirk fell as his gaze landed on Morgause. Instead of the anger he expected to be splayed across her face she seemed to be watching Merlin with a contemplating, even hungry, expression on her face. Arthur didn't like the way it put him in mind of a collector who'd just found the star of their collection.

He was swiftly distracted from these thoughts as he realised that Leon was slowly making his way over to the tree, ready to follow them across. Fortunately Merlin had spotted this as well and a muttered word and a flash of burning gold eyes had the tree cracking and falling into the river.

"Arthur!" Came Leon's annoyed cry from across the river.

The blonde shot his best knight a triumphant look before he and Merlin disappeared into the trees.

x-x-x

Nimueh sighed as she moved back into the trees. Once again she had arrived too late to merely kill the prince and take Merlin back home. She frowned as she saw the pair talking to with the Le Fay sisters, narrowing her eyes at Morgause. She had always disliked the deceitful blonde, and that feeling hadn't changed as the blonde had taken her position after she had been betrayed.

Pushing her anger aside she nearly leapt forward as she felt Morgause's magic stir. However Merlin easily deflected the spell and Nimueh felt a weird sense of pride rise inside of her. She swiftly pushed it aside though, having not felt such emotion in a long time.

She growled in anger as Morgana lost her temper and threw fire at the two boys. However Merlin's shield held and Nimueh wondered when he had become so strong.

Rolling her eyes in frustration as she watched Merlin set Morgause's dress on fire before they ran off into the trees, she wondered why they couldn't just stay in one place for once. She knew that Merlin could easily have taken both Morgana and Morgause, a sight she would have enjoyed, yet he insisted on running again.

Nimueh amused herself for a while as she watched the sisters struggle with the fire, knowing that she'd easily be able to track Merlin later. All too soon however the sisters were also running into the trees. Nimueh sighed as she wondered when she had gotten so old that everyone seemed to be running unnecessarily. Frowning she told herself that she wasn't old, Merlin saw to that. Though she would be starting to get there if she didn't get him back soon. She knew that if the spell wasn't renewed regularly then the years she had been holding back would swiftly come upon her.

Realising the haste she had to make she hurried after the sisters. Following the feel of Merlin's magic she moved along the river, wishing curses on infuriating Pendragons and interfering sisters that were making her job much harder. She reached the edge of the trees just in time to see Merlin throw up a shield to protect the prince from the spells flying at him.

Frustration flooded through her as she knew now that she was going to be hard pressed to get Merlin to come back with her. She had known before that Merlin had grown attached to the prince, that had been evident. But looking at him now she could see the shining admiration as he looked at Arthur. It was clear that he had become much more attached than she thought and she felt anger boiling up inside of her as she thought of a Pendragon overshadowing her once again.

However she, along with everyone else in the clearing, froze in shock at Merlin's display of magic. She knew how strong he was, even without what she could sense from him the prophecies were clear enough. However she had made sure to limit his knowledge, only teaching him the most basic spells. Though it seemed that his raw magic was instinctive enough that he could bend it to his will without the use of spells.

This worried Nimueh slightly as she knew it would be harder to keep him in the tower if he grew in strength. What concerned her more at the moment was the look Morgause was giving Merlin. Nimueh knew full well that the whole of Camelot was on the hunt for the lost Emrys and she couldn't allow either the sisters or the knight to connect the dots and work out who Arthur's companion really is.

However, as comprehension dawned on Morgause's face, Nimueh realised that she could use it to her advantage. If playing off Merlin's emotions didn't work then she could always use the sisters to her advantage, and even get her revenge in while she was at it.

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Here's the replies to the anonymous reviews!

**104Arianna: **Thank you so much! "I think I'm capable of choosing the right side for myself." was a little from the first Harry Potter when he's talking to Malfoy on the train. :D

**a:** Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**Dee: **Thanks! I'm really glad you're enjoying it.

**EpsilonFreak: **Sorry for making you wait, I hope this chapter was worth it. As I said at the top I am going to go back to updating on a Tuesday with the possibility of another chapter later in the week if I'm really organised. (which knowing me is unlikely)


	13. Chapter 13

Look I actually made it on Tuesday this week! I just want to start by saying a enormous thank you to all you amazing people who have been reviewing. Your words have meant so much to me. And especially to everyone who reviewed the last chapter because they were so brilliant, I don't think any of you realise quite how wonderful you are. So this chapter is dedicated to all my amazing reviewers, I love you guys. Enjoy! x

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Merlin collapsed onto the ground as they finally stopped running. His chest was heaving with exertion and his muscles were screaming with overuse. It felt like a lifetime ago but he realised that it was only that morning that he had left the tower. He couldn't really believe all that had happened in such a short space of time. But, as the most exercise he normally did was just walking around the tower, his whole body was protesting as it was not used to the amount of effort he was using.

Arthur on the other hand had trained his whole life for days like these and so, apart from the aches he had gained when Merlin had tied him up in the tower, he was still in pretty good shape. However he wasn't blind enough not to notice the state Merlin was in.

"Let's set up camp here." He announced, "We'll continue the rest of the way tomorrow."

Merlin merely grunted in response. However he did sit up and survey the small clearing they had arrived in. He watched Arthur lean against a tree casually. It didn't escape his notice that the blonde was being very careful with his left arm, trying not to strain his injury. He knew that, despite Arthur's bravado, a wound like his would still be paining him; at least that's what he had read.

Pushing himself up he made his way over to Arthur.

"Let me have a look at it." He demanded.

Arthur debated refusing but the look on Merlin's face told him that the young warlock wasn't going to give in. With a sigh Arthur allowed himself to be led over to a log near the centre of the clearing. Merlin pushed Arthur down so he was sat on it before joining him and pulling up his sleeve to inspect the injury. Merlin gently unwound the makeshift bandage Arthur had constructed and finally got a good look at the wound.

The long slash down his arm was deeper than he had thought. Merlin had read his mother's books on medicines and injuries and he knew that, if left untreated as it had been, a wound like this would soon become infected.

Reaching under his shirt he pulled out his chain with the glass charm on it. The glass star twinkled as it caught the light and Merlin found himself smiling softly at the comfort its familiarity gave him. Clasping it in one hand he pressed the other to Arthur's wound, ignoring the hiss of pain this caused, and spoke the words he knew so well.

"_Ágíeman se__sceþne. Edhwierft se æfterield_."

Arthur's eyes widened as he watched the wound heal in front of him. His mind was spinning as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. As far as he had been aware healing magic was impossible. He had grown up surrounded by sorcerers and had been sure that nothing they could do would surprise him. This, however, was something new entirely.

"But...how?" Arthur muttered in shock as Merlin removed his hand from the wound.

Or from where the wound had been, for beneath Merlin's hand was unbroken skin. There was no sign that the skin had been broken, no hint of the injury at all. Arthur stared at the patch of unblemished skin as his mind tried to catch up with the turn of events.

Merlin sat in silence as the blonde tried to come to terms with what had just happened. The young warlock didn't know how rare his gift was however he wasn't completely oblivious to Arthur's shock. Unsure of how to proceed he had decided to stay quiet, hoping that he hadn't just made a big mistake.

His mother had always warned him of how people would try to harm him if they knew of his gifts. How they would want to use him to their own benefit. Merlin had thought that Arthur wouldn't be like this, that he wouldn't want to force Merlin to use his power. However the silence and the look on Arthur's face, that Merlin couldn't quite decipher, were worrying him.

"Arthur?" He asked slowly, fearful of the response.

"How did you...?" Arthur tried to speak but trailed off, "You healed me."

The statement seemed to be all that Arthur could manage at this point but he tore his gaze from his arm to stare at Merlin. The young warlock shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of Arthur's look however he met the gaze, holding it.

"Yes I did." He replied simply, hoping this would help whatever was going through Arthur's head.

"But how?" Arthur repeated, "It's impossible."

Merlin frowned at this. He had known that his gift to control the charm and heal people was rare however he didn't know that everyone else had deemed it impossible.

"I've always been able to do it." Merlin answered honestly.

As far back as he could remember he had been using the charm to keep his mother young. Casting the spell day after day that would hold back the years. He realised that his other hand was still clamped around the glass star and he released his grip, showing it to Arthur.

Arthur found his gaze torn from Merlin's face and onto the charm dangling from the chain round his neck as he held it out to Arthur. Something like recognition flashed through his mind and an image of a dark haired woman with the same charm around her neck flashed through his mind, though he couldn't place where it had come from.

Shaking his head he pushed the weird thoughts aside, instead focusing back on Merlin.

"I was always told healing magic was impossible." Arthur explained.

"Well I knew it was rare." Merlin started with a wry smile, "Mother always told me that was why we had to stay hidden. She said that when I was little people tried to force me to heal them, that they nearly killed me with the amount of magic they made me use. So she took me away where we would be safe."

Arthur frowned as he pondered what Merlin had said. A gift like his was something to be treasured but Arthur knew that there were people out there who would want to use it for their own gain and wouldn't care what happened to Merlin in the process.

To his confusion he found that anger was welling up inside of him towards the people who had harmed Merlin. He had always been a keen defender of his people, wanting to eventually become a fair and just king, and he had never liked the suffering of others. However the anger he felt was confusingly mixed with another emotion that he couldn't quite place.

The look on Arthur's face confused Merlin. He could see that Arthur was struggling to comprehend what Merlin had just done. However he saw something in Arthur's eyes that he didn't understand. Wanting to distract Arthur Merlin changed the subject.

"So you're a prince."

Arthur's mind instantly jumped away from its confusing line of thought as Merlin spoke. Instead he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Arthur wasn't totally sure that he wanted this news to be revealed to his companion. He had found himself getting used to the refreshing way that Merlin spoke to him and, though he was loath to admit it, he didn't want Merlin to start treating him as everyone else did. Despite the way he acted when in Camelot, demanding the respect he was due, he had always hated the way most people treated him with such careful reverence. It felt good to finally have someone who wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

"I am." Arthur replied slowly, knowing there was no use denying it now.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Merlin demanded.

Arthur was slightly taken aback by Merlin's question. Nothing seemed to have changed in the way the young warlock was treating him. Usually when someone found out his true identity they instantly turned into the type of bootlicking suck up that he hated. But that didn't seem to be the case for Merlin, if anything he had become more obnoxious.

"You had me tied to a chair!" Arthur exclaimed, "You could have been anyone! I wasn't going to tell my captor that he had the Crown Prince of Camelot at his mercy!"

Arthur had found himself growing more irritable as he spoke. Merlin had tied him to a chair for goodness sake. For all Arthur knew he could have been some sort of bounty hunter who would have held him to ransom or sold him to Camelot's enemies. He knew he was being irrational but he found himself becoming annoyed at Merlin's naivety.

However the annoyance faded into something he didn't quite understand as he saw the hurt look on Merlin's face when he snapped at him. Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself completely. It wasn't Merlin's fault that he didn't understand. He had grown up isolated from the rest of the world, he didn't quite realise the terrible things people could do to each other.

"But if you're the prince why are we running away from your knights?" Merlin asked confused, "Surely they should be following your command."

"They obey my father before they obey me." Arthur explained, "And my father wants me to return to Camelot, so Leon and the others won't leave till I return with them."

"Why have you left?"

Arthur smiled slightly to himself at Merlin's childlike curiosity. Anyone else would have backed off by now, not wanting to pry too much into the prince's disagreement with the king. But Merlin wanted to know everything; he had no qualms about questioning Arthur.

"I have to find someone." Arthur replied cagily, not wanting to reveal too much of his task to the younger man, "He's been missing for so long and I have to bring him home, no matter what."

"He sounds very important to you." Merlin said quietly.

"I suppose he is." Arthur answered simply.

Merlin admired the dedication that was shining in Arthur's eyes however he couldn't stop the twisting that formed in his gut. He didn't understand why he felt so strange when he thought of the person Arthur was looking for. But the more he saw the devotion on Arthur's face, the tighter his insides clenched and the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach grew.

The young warlock didn't understand what was happening to him. He had never felt anything like this before and didn't really know what his emotions were doing. All he knew was that somewhere deep down inside of him he wished that he was as important to Arthur as the stranger he was looking for.

Arthur however was unaware of Merlin's inner turmoil, instead his mind had flashed back to Camelot. To the portrait gallery with the pictures of his mother and Emrys. The prophecies he had heard his whole life were running through his head, telling him exactly what was at stake. He had to get the crystal back and continue to find Emrys. He had been so close before, he could feel it, and he knew that nothing could distract him from his task.

However looking at the young warlock sat next to him Arthur felt his resolve crumbling. He didn't know what it was but something inside of him wanted to protect Merlin and keep him safe, and preferably nearby. The thought of returning him to the lonely tower and a mother who didn't let him leave caused a sick feeling to rise inside of him. He didn't want Merlin to have to tie up and blackmail strangers to find some way to get out, yet he knew there was no way the younger man would survive in the wide world on his own.

His stomach clenched uncomfortably as his thoughts ran away with him and Arthur did what he always did when faced with confusing emotions, he pushed them to one side, choosing to ignore them.

Uncomfortable with the route the conversation had led him down Arthur stood up abruptly. Running his hands through his hair he avoided making eye contact with Merlin, knowing that the confusion and hurt that would be written all over Merlin's face would cause his barriers to break down and he would have to give into his emotions.

"Err; I'm going to collect some wood for the fire." Arthur muttered before swiftly disappearing into the trees.

Merlin stared at the spot where Arthur had been before in utter confusion. He had no idea what had prompted the prince's sudden departure. Frowning he closed his eyes, rubbing his temples wearily.

"Merlin."

The voice caused Merlin's eyes to sharply snap open and his gaze landed on the person who had spoken. His eyes widened in shock as he realised who it was.

"Mother?"

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Ok I forgot to put the replies to anonymous reviews here when I posted this the first time but here they are now.

**Dee: **Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

**ddd: **Thank you for the review. Yes Nimueh is despicable but she wouldn't be herself if she wasn't. Don't worry this story is going to be people running all the time (as you've probably seen in this chapter) it was just that Nimueh always arrived just as Arthur and Merlin were running away from someone.


	14. Chapter 14

It is still Tuesday, just about, so I have managed to get this up in time. :D Huge thanks to all you amazing people who have been reviewing, I love you guys. I know the last chapter was a little shorter than the others but this one's a bit longer for you all. Enjoy!

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"How...what...I..?"

Merlin was lost for words as he stared at the woman in front of him. Guilt clawed at his insides as, once again, he realised what he must have put his mother through by disappearing. However he held his resolve, he wasn't going back to the tower until he had seen the lights.

"Merlin dear I was so worried!" Nimueh spoke as she swooped towards him, enveloping him in her embrace.

Taken aback by her reaction Merlin stared at Nimueh stunned as she released him. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting but this wasn't it. He knew that his mother's temper was volatile at the best of times and he didn't think that there wouldn't be repercussions for his actions.

"I'm so glad you're okay darling."

"How did you find me?" Merlin asked, finally regaining use of his voice.

"Oh darling; I always know how to find you." She replied, smiling serenely, "Now let's get you back home."

"No."

Merlin pulled away from Nimueh as he spoke. There was no way he was going back to the tower now, not after everything he had been through. An angry look flickered across Nimueh's face; however she soon hid it behind her concerned mask. Though she wasn't quick enough for Merlin not to notice it and he watched his mother warily, wondering what her next move was going to be.

"What do you mean no?" Nimueh asked frostily, "Merlin you have no idea what the real world is like, there is no way you're going to be able to survive out here without me."

"I've done fine so far." Merlin replied stubbornly.

He stared at Nimueh obstinately and she realised that he wasn't quite the same boy she had left in the tower. Merlin had an air of confidence around him that he had never had before. Although he had only been out of the tower a day it seemed being in the real world had made him much more secure in himself.

This was what Nimueh had always feared would happen if she let him out of the tower. When he had never seen anything of the world outside his window he had been totally reliant on her and would never have been able to cope on his own. However, now he had had a taste of the outside world, he was no longer dependant on her. She no longer had complete control over him. If she was going to be able to keep him in the tower once again after this was all over she would have to find a way to destroy this new found confidence.

"But you haven't been completely alone though have you?" Nimueh replied knowingly.

She watched as a guilty look flashed across his face and Merlin's gaze flickered from her to the trees where the prince had disappeared and back again. She could see the sickening look that had appeared in his eyes at the mere thought of the Pendragon brat. It seemed the prince had inherited the family trait that drew people to them with no thought of the others around them.

"That's not the point." Merlin spluttered nervously.

For some reason, that he couldn't quite explain, he didn't want his mother getting involved with Arthur. The blonde was his friend, something he'd never had before, and he didn't want his mother taking Arthur from him.

"I'm not coming home until I've seen the floating lights mother." Merlin continued, stronger this time, "Once I have seen them I'll come straight back, until then I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Merlin this is a foolish venture and you're only going to get yourself hurt." Nimueh tried to reason with him.

"I'll be fine mother, I can look after myself. My magic will keep me safe from injury."

"It's not just physical injury I'm worried about."

"What?" Merlin asked confused.

"I've seen your attachment to the prince." Nimueh explained, "I know that you're letting your heart rule your head. I just don't want to see him hurt you."

"He won't." Merlin replied stubbornly, "He's not like that."

Nimueh noticed how Merlin had chosen to dispute that rather than his feelings for the prince. This confirmed what she had already worked out. However she was having to restrain her hatred towards the younger Pendragon, she was sick of his family taking what was hers.

"You think he cares for you, I understand that." Nimueh replied soothingly, "But is it really you he cares about?"

Merlin's brow furrowed as he tried to digest Nimueh's words. He wasn't sure what she was talking about, of course Arthur cared for him. He ignored the niggling doubt that appeared in the back of his head as he thought this.

"Of course he does." He replied, however the certainty in his voice wavered.

"Are you sure it's not this he cares about?"

As Nimueh spoke she pulled a pouch out from beneath her cloak. Merlin didn't need her to open it, he recognised it instantly. It was the pouch Arthur had had with him when he had entered the tower. The pouch that contained the crystal which was his only leverage over Arthur. His heart constricted as he finally realised the full impact of Nimueh's words. He didn't want to believe that Arthur was only helping his so he could regain the crystal.

"Yes I'm sure."

However Merlin's voice didn't sound so convincing, even to his own ears. He didn't know how his mother had found the crystal, or how she knew that it belonged to Arthur, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to linger on that thought.

"Prove it."

His mother's two words cut him to the core. Fear, deeper than any he had felt since he had left the tower, flooded through him. He was petrified of loosing Arthur. It only just hit him quite how attached to the blonde he had become. The thought of Arthur taking the crystal and leaving made him feel physically sick.

However something inside of him told him he shouldn't tell his mother this. Instead he tried to smooth his face into the expressionless mask that he had seen Arthur use. Though the expression on his mother's face told him it may not have been quite as effective as he had wished.

Nimueh had to control the smirk that wanted to appear on her face as she saw the look that flashed across Merlin's face before he tried to hide it. Despite the way he tried to make his face expressionless she could see the doubt written in every inch of his features.

Knowing that it was time to make her final move she held the pouch out towards Merlin, indicating that he should take it. She watched him hesitate for a moment before striding towards her and snatching it out of her hand.

"Fine." He replied shortly.

A small smile slipped onto Nimueh's face and she stepped back, watching the indecision that was still battling on Merlin's face.

"Just prepare yourself darling." She said smoothly, "I will be here for you even if he is not."

Merlin watched as, with that, she turned and disappeared into the trees and he was left alone. Silence seemed to fill the clearing, pressing in on him from all sides. He was used to silence, having spent so much time alone in the tower, but now it seemed to be suffocating him as he tried to decide what to do.

On the one hand he was determined to prove his mother wrong. To show her that Arthur did care for him, whether he had the crystal or not. However there was a voice in the back of his head, a voice that scared him more than he liked to admit, that was saying what if his mother was right? What if Arthur did take the crystal and leave?

Opening the pouch Merlin poured the crystal into his palm. Once again it glowed blue at his touch and he marvelled at the beauty of it. He wondered just how important it was to Arthur and whether it had anything to do with the person he was looking for.

However before he could expand on that thought any further he heard movement in the trees and knew that Arthur was on his way back. Panicked he swiftly placed the crystal back into its pouch. He just managed to get it in when Arthur walked back into the clearing. Merlin hid the pouch behind his back, still uncertain as to what he was going to do with it.

"Here we go." Arthur announced as he dropped the pile of firewood he had been carrying, "This should make us a good fire."

Arthur smiled as he glanced up and Merlin and the young warlock felt his stomach do summersaults. And suddenly it clicked; he worked out what that strange emotion he was feeling was. He closed his eyes, taking a steadying breath as it finally sunk in.

He was in love with Arthur.

In love with the obnoxious, often self centred, irritating prince. The realisation hit him like a blow to the gut. He hadn't known what the feeling was before, having never experienced anything like it. But now he realised it was true he knew that he should come clean, give Arthur the crystal and tell him everything.

"Arthur I have something to tell you."

The prince glanced up from where he had been building the fire to look at Merlin. The open, inquisitive look in his eyes made Merlin's insides squirm. Cold fear flooded through him as he realised that he could be rejected by Arthur. Because in what world would a handsome prince like him be interested in Merlin? He had no chance. And anyway there was this mysterious stranger that Arthur was looking for, the one that caused the faraway look in Arthur's eyes. Merlin couldn't compete with him; he was foolish for even thinking he could.

"Merlin?" Arthur prompted, "What is it?"

Merlin hesitated. This was it, now or never. He had to tell him, he just had to.

"Nothing, never mind." Merlin mumbled turning away.

Shame coursed through him as he realised that he wasn't brave enough to take the risk. He knew in that moment that he wanted to keep Arthur in his life for as long as possible, even if he had to lie to do it. Averting his gaze from Arthur Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the pouch and the crystal inside shrank so he could tuck them inside his pocket without Arthur noticing.

Looking back at the blonde Merlin saw the confused expression on his face and tried to smile reassuringly. Seemingly satisfied that it was merely Merlin being his usual self, Arthur turned back to building the fire and Merlin muttered a quick spell, lighting it instantly. Arthur's eyes widened in shock before he turned to look at Merlin impressed. Merlin's insides clenched, no one had ever looked at him like that before, and he glanced into the trees, hoping that his mother hadn't witnessed his cowardice.

x-x-x

Nimueh drew back into the trees in frustration. Her plan hadn't gone the way she wanted. She should have foreseen that Merlin wouldn't have the courage to give Arthur the crystal. She was confident however that his fears weren't unfounded and that the prince would have taken the crystal and gone on his way, leaving Merlin to return to her.

However she had not factored in Merlin's behaviour. She had thought she had bated him sufficiently that he would want to prove her wrong. But it seemed that his insecurities had overcome that feeling and Merlin had backed out.

Storming through the trees Nimueh knew that she was going to have to resort to plan B. Coming to an abrupt halt she closed her eyes and took deep breaths, calming her anger. Once she was in complete control again she sent out her magic, looking for other magical presences. She felt Merlin nearby but ignored him, looking for a different source.

It wasn't long until her magic located two more magical presences. A smile appeared on her face as she located the sisters. Nimueh knew enough to be able to hide her probing from them. She couldn't tell what they were doing however she had a location, and that was what she had been looking for. Releasing her magic she turned and heading in the direction of the two sisters.

To her frustration she found herself retracing her steps back to the river. It seemed that the sisters hadn't made it very far from where she had last seen them.

Eventually Nimueh slowed as her magic told her she was close. Pulling it around her she made herself blend into the background, effectively invisible to the human eye. She didn't want the sisters to see her until she wanted them to. Moving quietly now she stepped through the trees, entering the clearing where the Le Fay sisters had set up camp.

A fire crackled in the middle of the clearing that Nimueh had been unable to see until she had passed through Morgause's wards. Although the older sister had shielded their camp well it was no match for Nimueh's skill and she easily slipped through. The two sisters were sat next to the fire and, now she had passed the wards, Nimueh was able to hear their conversation.

"...we will have to get it back from the prince to be sure but I do not believe I am mistaken." Morgause was speaking.

"But how did he do it?" Morgana replied, "After all this time with no news."

"Destiny I suppose. They are drawn together." Morgause said simply.

Although Nimueh had missed the beginning of the conversation she knew exactly what they were talking about. Factoring Morgause's discovery into her plans she decided now was the time to act.

"It seems we will be able to help each other then." She spoke.

Dropping the magic that concealed her, Nimueh stepped further into the clearing. She rolled her eyes as Morgause's first response was to throw a fireball at her. Stopping it with ease she watched the two sisters, waiting to see what their next move would be.

Morgause seemed to have realised that she wasn't going to break through Nimueh's defences and instead she was watching the older woman carefully, dislike written all across her face.

"Nimueh, it's been a long time." Morgause said slowly, "You haven't changed a bit."

Nimueh smiled internally, knowing that the years had treated her much better than they had Morgause, thanks to Merlin.

"Yet the years have been less kind to you." Nimueh smirked, "Though I hear you've moved up in the world. Still trying to usurp other people's positions?"

Satisfaction flooded through Nimueh as she saw Morgause clench her teeth in anger. Although the blonde had been barely an adult when Nimueh had left Camelot, she had still been a powerful sorceress, one who would stop at nothing to move on up through Camelot's ranks.

Whilst Morgause fumed Nimueh turned her attention to the younger sister. Morgana was sat quietly, watching the dispute between the older sorceresses. She clearly knew who Nimueh was however Nimueh could tell that Morgana would follow her sister's lead, no matter where it led her.

"What is it that you want Nimueh?" Morgause asked, barely containing her frustration.

"I think it is more what I can help you with." The older woman replied, "I hear that the Pendragon prince has something that belongs to you. Well he has something of mine too, something I want back."

Nimueh could see Morgause's mind working furiously as she tried to work out what Nimueh wanted.

"The warlock?" She asked, realisation finally dawning on her, "What is he to you?"

"A commodity. One I am loathed to lose." Nimueh answered coolly.

She knew that she couldn't let on just how much she needed Merlin back as it would fuel Morgause's suspicions. Nimueh was fully aware that Morgause had worked out who Merlin really was and she could see the blonde's mind working furiously as she tried to come up with a way she could exploit Nimueh's help and get both Merlin and the crystal for herself.

However Nimueh knew that Morgause was no match for her and, whatever plan she came up with, Nimueh was certain that she could outwit her. After all, with age brought experience.

"So do we have a deal?" Nimueh asked.

"What is the plan?" Morgause answered with a smile.

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**Airabella: **Thank you for the review. Don't worry about not keeping up, I'm just glad you're still enjoying this.

**Michelle W: **Thank you! I'm glad you like this and I hope this chapter lives up to the rest.


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry I'm really late this week I know! Hopefully this chapter will make up for it's lateness, lots of development for you. Huge thank you to all my amazing reviewers, I do love you guys.*hugs* I hope this chapter lives up to expectations and makes up for the wait. Enjoy!

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This was it; this was what everything had been heading towards. All those years of staring out of his window at the turrets souring above the trees and now he was finally here.

A broad smile appeared on Merlin's face as they stood outside Camelot's gates. He and Arthur had woken up early and made the rest of the way to Camelot. Arthur had rolled his eyes at the level of excitement that was pouring from Merlin however he had decided not to comment, not really wanting to puncture the young warlock's good mood.

The prince glanced over at the warlock as they stood outside Camelot. Merlin's eyes were wide with awe and his face was shining with excitement. Having lived in Camelot his whole life Arthur sometimes forgot the effect it had on strangers.

Although the look on Merlin's face had awakened more confusing emotions, which he successfully managed to shove to the back of his mind, he found himself reluctant to enter his hometown. Arthur knew that if anyone recognised him it would all be over. He'd never get another chance to find Emrys, and Merlin would be stranded here with no means of getting home.

"Come on." Merlin said, grabbing Arthur's arm and pulling him towards the guards at the gate.

"Are you sure you want to go in?" Arthur asked hesitantly, "You could see the floating light perfectly well from here."

Merlin turned to look at Arthur with a frown.

"Of course I want to go in. I haven't come this far just to stop when we're so close." He replied adamantly.

"Fine." Arthur muttered, pulling up the hood of his cloak.

Adjusting it so his face was hidden Arthur strolled towards the gates of Camelot, Merlin following close behind him. They joined the crowd of people entering Camelot. Arthur knew that Camelot would be busy; people came far and wide for this day, hoping to help Emrys return home.

Moving with the crowd Arthur and Merlin blended in and the guards waved them through. Arthur was making sure to keep his head down, knowing that anyone could potentially recognise him and report back to his father.

Merlin however was unaware of Arthur's tension, focused instead on his surroundings. The bustle of people amazed him. He had thought that the tavern had been busy but it was nothing compared to Camelot. The sheer amount of people was over whelming and his eyes darted around, not wanting to miss a thing.

His senses were being assaulted by the vast array of new stimulus. The sound of people moving around, calling to each other, the smells of the market stalls, the feel of the many people brushing past him, of the heat coming from Arthur's comforting presence next to him.

Arthur was enjoying watching Merlin discovering the new experiences, or he was until his eyes strayed towards the crowd and he spotted a familiar flash of red in the crowd. Focusing his attention away from Merlin he spotted Sir Kay and Sir Owen moving through the crowd. They were chatting casually as they moved through the crowd, towards where Merlin and Arthur were stood.

With nervous apprehension coursing through him Arthur grabbed Merlin's arm, steering him out of the path of the knights. Merlin started to protest but, spotting the look on Arthur's face, he decided better of it. Arthur was pointing out different stalls in the market but Merlin could tell he wasn't fully concentrating.

Glancing around to see what had drawn Arthur attention Merlin spotted the two knights heading in their general direction. Arthur had warned him that they couldn't be recognised by anyone and so Merlin allowed Arthur to move them away from the knight's line of sight.

Whilst this close encounter had put Arthur on edge, it had done nothing to kill Merlin's good mood. The young warlock was still bouncing around excitedly. Now he knew that the knights had passed he was free to go back to exploring the new environment. The pair moved from one market stall to another as Merlin exclaimed about how amazing everything was. Arthur would have been concerned about Merlin standing out if it had been any other day. However there were so many people who had arrived in Camelot for the ritual that evening who had never seen a city before and so Merlin blended right in.

"Thank you."

Arthur was dragged out his thoughts by Merlin's words. The young warlock had stopped and turned to face Arthur. His eyes were shining with excitement and something else that Arthur couldn't recognise, or didn't want to admit he recognised.

"What for?" He asked with a small frown.

"For bringing me here. For getting me out of the tower. For being in the right place at the right time. Just everything really."

Arthur heard the emotion and sincerity in Merlin's voice. He had known how much this meant to the young warlock, but hearing him say it was another thing all together. Arthur had never been good at emotional moments and he shrugged uncomfortably.

"It's okay." He replied gruffly, "It was nothing."

He saw Merlin open his mouth, clearly about to protest. So Arthur cut him off before he could speak.

"Come on, I know the best place to see the lights."

x-x-x

It took much longer than Arthur had anticipated to get through the town as Merlin got distracted by every little thing. Night had started to fall by the time they finally reached their destination. Arthur smiled as he watched the expression on Merlin's face, knowing he had brought him to the perfect place.

Merlin stared, wide eyed, out across the lake in front of them. He had never seen such a wide expanse of water. The smooth lake rippled slightly in the gentle breeze. It looked beautiful to Merlin, surrounded by trees with the tall towers of Camelot just behind it.

"Wow." He breathed.

Arthur grinned at Merlin's reaction and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards a small hut at the edge of the lake. Lined up next to it were a few small boats. After a quick word with the man at the hut Arthur led Merlin towards one of the boats.

"Won't he have recognised you?" Merlin asked concerned.

"Don't worry, Tom's an old friend, he won't tell father I'm here." Arthur reassured him.

Climbing carefully into the boat, unused to the rocking motion, Merlin settled himself on the seat as Arthur climbed in after him. Whilst the prince got settled Merlin glanced around at the other boats around them. Some people seemed to be using two sticks of wood to propel themselves through the water whilst others seemed to be going by themselves. He quickly realised that magic was being used and, after watching one couple carefully, Merlin decided he could easily copy them.

"_Astyrung Fundian_."

Arthur jolted in shock as the boat slowly started to move towards the centre of the lake.

"It seems you do have your uses." He told the young warlock with a smile.

By the time they reached the centre of the lake night had well and truly fallen. The lights from Camelot lit up the lake, allowing them to see each other. Merlin was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. He gazed around at the boats nearest to them. They weren't close enough to hear them or recognise Arthur in the dim light; however Merlin could see that they were clearly waiting for something.

"What are they waiting for?" He asked Arthur.

"My father is probably making a speech in the castle." Arthur replied dismissively.

"I can't believe I've never asked you this but why does Camelot send lights into the sky every year?" Merlin asked.

"It's for Emrys' birthday..." Arthur began.

"The one you're looking for?" Merlin asked, feeling his heart sink again.

"That's right. He was taken from the castle on his first birthday and no one has been able to find him since. So every year on his birthday, today, sorcerers gather and send lights into the sky in the hope that Emrys will see them and one day return home."

The pair fell into silence as Arthur finished. Merlin was thinking over Arthur's explanation. This Emrys was obviously someone very important for sorcerers to come from far and wide to try and bring him home. A sad smile crossed his face as he realised that he had no chance really, he couldn't compete with Emrys.

"It's my birthday today too." Merlin commented with a small smile.

To Merlin it had just been a passing comment, a fleeting coincidence, however to Arthur those were the five words that turned his world upside down. It was Merlin's birthday as well, surely that couldn't be purely by chance. Arthur thought back over everything he had been told about Emrys. The incredible power he would have fit. For all Merlin's bumbling incompetence, he had seen the boy fell a tree without even breaking a sweat.

"How old are you?" Arthur asked with bated breath.

"Nineteen."

The same age as Emrys, everything fit. Arthur felt his voice catch in his throat as he tried to speak. After all this time Emrys was here, sat in front of him. Though, if he was honest, he was having problems fitting the all-powerful warlock he had heard about with the naive boy in front of him.

However, before he could manage to say anything, a single blue light floated up from the castle. Merlin's gaze fixed on it, awe written in every line on his face. This seemed to be the signal that everyone else on the lake was waiting for as blue balls of light were conjured by the sorcerers and started to float up to join those that were now rising from the castle and the surrounding areas.

Merlin gazed around at the lights rising around him, a huge smile written across his face. He was here, he was finally here. All those years he had spent dreaming of this day and it was finally here. Merlin almost couldn't believe it. If it wasn't for the blonde in front of him, who was very real, Merlin would have thought he was dreaming.

Closing his eyes he focused his magic. As he opened them two blue balls of light were floating in front of them, one for him and one for Arthur. Staring at them Merlin recognised the scene he had seen in the crystal when he had held it back in the tower with a smile. He knew this was where he was supposed to be.

The prince stared into Merlin's gold eyes as they faded back to their normal startling blue. And suddenly he realised where he recognised them from. He remembered the images that had flashed through his mind when he picked up the crystal in Camelot's vaults. The messy black hair, the blue eyes flashing gold, they both fit. He could now see the boy in front of him as the messy haired baby in the portrait in Camelot; it was the eyes that finally convinced him.

Another flash of Merlin's eyes had the two blue orbs floating up into the air to join all the others streaming up above them. Merlin's gaze was drawn upwards as he watched their orbs gradually getting further away.

Arthur's gaze however was fixed on Merlin as everything finally sank in.

"It's you." He whispered softly.

As he spoke Merlin turned his attention from the orbs to look back at Arthur. The look in Arthur's eyes made him catch his breath and he found himself captured by Arthur's gaze. The expression on Arthur's face was so open that Merlin's heart ached for him.

Suddenly Merlin knew that he had to give Arthur the crystal. He couldn't bear to be holding it over Arthur any longer. At that moment it didn't matter if Arthur left him, he had to take the chance. He had to tell him everything.

"I have something to give you." Merlin said quietly.

He pulled the pouch out of his pocket and, as he did, it returned to its normal size.

"I should have given you this earlier, I know that. I just, I didn't want you to leave." Merlin said in a small voice.

Arthur stared down at the pouch, slowly taking it from Merlin. He knew this was the moment, this was it. Pulling out the crystal he saw that it was glowing a much stronger blue than it had when he had held it in the forest. However he knew that it wasn't its true colour. He pressed it into Merlin's hands.

"Take it." Arthur said softly.

"I can't, it's yours." Merlin protested.

However Arthur forced it into his hands. The moment it touched Merlin's skin the blue of the crystal deepened and it pulsed softly. A smile appeared on Arthur's face as he realised that he had been right, Merlin was Emrys.

"Don't you want it anymore?" Merlin asked confused, not understanding the significance of what had just happened.

"It doesn't matter anymore; I've found what I was looking for."

Merlin's gaze was drawn from the crystal back to Arthur's. The prince's eyes seemed unnaturally bright and Merlin felt as if he was falling into them. Without any conscious thought Merlin found himself leaning towards Arthur. He closed his eyes as his lips softly brushed against Arthur's.

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**Michelle W: **Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much.

**Anne: **Thank you!


	16. Chapter 16

Just one day late this week, I'm getting better. I'm astounded by the amazing response for the last chapter! 24 reviews for one chapter, I seriously love you guys! So huge a thank you goes to every one of you who reviewed! Though now I'm feeling quite concerned that this chapter is not going to live up to your expectations but here it is anyway, I really hope you enjoy it!

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They broke apart, breathing heavily, after what felt like hours to Merlin but in reality had only been a couple of minutes. A wide grin was plastered across Merlin's face that he couldn't remove. He was pleased to see that Arthur had a similar grin upon his face. Merlin's heart was pounding in his chest as he gazed at Arthur happily.

He couldn't believe that this was really happening, that Arthur had really kissed him. He had truly believed that he didn't really stand a chance. Arthur was a prince after all, and a handsome one at that, and he was nothing. And the way Arthur had spoken about Emrys had made Merlin sure that there was no way he could compete with the other man.

Arthur smiled softly at Merlin, running his fingers gently across Merlin's cheek. His chest seemed to be swelling with emotion and, for the first time in his life, it didn't scare him. He knew now that everything would be okay. He'd take Merlin back to Camelot, reunite him with Hunith and Balinor, and they could be together for eternity. Arthur was fully ready to admit that it sounded soppy but something deep inside was telling him they were destined for each other.

Unfortunately Arthur's happy bubble was quickly burst as his gaze strayed to the shore over Merlin's shoulder and he recognised the two figures standing upon it. Morgause and Morgana stood casually on the shore, watching the scene in front of them. Arthur knew that they weren't going to leave them alone until they got the crystal from him. Clenching his jaw Arthur knew what he had to do.

Merlin had noticed the moment Arthur's demeanour changed. The blonde's smile fell and he seemed distracted by something. Merlin knew that the prince's attention was no longer focused on him and he wondered what had distracted him.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked tentatively.

Arthur's gaze snapped from the shore back to Merlin instantly. He tried to smile reassuringly but Merlin wasn't buying it. The young warlock glanced over his shoulder to see what might have captured Arthur's attention but there was no one there. Turning back to Arthur he saw that the concerned look had reappeared on the blonde's face as his gaze slipped back towards the shore.

Merlin was torn between worry about what was upsetting Arthur and fear that he'd done something wrong. His euphoria from their kiss was long gone as he worried that Arthur had decided that it was a mistake.

"Arthur, are you okay?" Merlin asked concern, a hint of nervousness entering his voice.

"I'm fine I just thought I saw someone." The blonde replied distractedly.

Merlin frowned at him. There definitely hadn't been anyone there when he had looked. However Arthur was looking troubled and some of the colour had drained from his face. Arthur knew that he had seen the Le Fay sisters and, after the confrontation in the forest, he knew that they weren't going to leave without a fight.

Glancing back at Merlin Arthur found protectiveness swelling within him. Although the rational part of his brain told him that Merlin could take care of himself, Arthur found himself not wanting to involve the young warlock in the sisters' schemes.

"I just want to check." Arthur muttered, still staring at the shore, "If that's okay?" He asked Merlin.

He gave Merlin a small smile which the young warlock returned hesitantly. He could see that something was troubling Arthur and, after all that the prince had done for him, there was no way Merlin was going to refuse him in this state.

"Of course."

A quick word and a flash of gold eyes had the boat heading gently towards the shore. Arthur's worried gaze stayed focused on the spot where the Le Fay sisters had been. He knew that he was worrying Merlin but he didn't want to involve the younger man in his problems once again.

The boat bumped the shore as they reached it and Arthur jumped out before hesitating slightly.

"Arthur what's going on?" Merlin asked confused.

"This won't take long." Arthur replied with a reassuring smile, which he was pretty sure Merlin could see straight through, "I'll be back soon."

As his gaze fell back upon Merlin his hand reached out to touch Merlin's face of its own accord. He ran his fingertips gently across Merlin's cheek as a well of emotions flooded through him again. The primary one being the desire to keep Merlin safe and innocent, no matter what.

"Stay here, I'll be back soon." Arthur instructed, dropping his hand away.

Reaching into the boat Arthur grabbed the pouch that contained the crystal, determined to get this mess over and done with. Glancing back at Merlin he pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head.

"Please just stay here till I get back, no matter what happens."

Arthur noticed that a hint of pleading had crept into his voice but he didn't care, as long as Merlin stayed here and safe.

"Arthur please tell me what's going on." Merlin begged.

A horrible feeling had settled into the pit of his stomach and he really didn't want Arthur to leave on his own. Merlin had no idea what was really going on but he knew it wasn't going to lead to anything good.

"Just promise me." Arthur replied cagily.

Merlin hesitated. He wanted to go with Arthur, to face whatever it was together. But the stubborn look on Arthur's face told Merlin that no matter what he said Arthur was going to do something stupid.

"I promise." He replied reluctantly.

Seemingly satisfied with Merlin's words Arthur turned and headed onto the shore. Clenching the pouch tightly in his left hand Arthur found his right hand drifting towards the hilt of his sword, touching it reassuringly.

Moving into the trees it didn't take him long to find the two sisters. They were stood, clearly waiting for him, in a small clearing. Arthur tried to ignore the smug smirk on Morgana's face as he approached. Morgause's expression was blank but Arthur could see the anticipation in her eyes.

Without waiting for either of them to speak Arthur threw the pouch containing the crystal at them. Morgause caught it easily, her gaze never leaving the prince. She didn't have to open it; she knew exactly what was inside. A small smile crossed her face as she realised what Arthur was trying to do.

"There, have it." Arthur spoke, "It's what you came for isn't it? I don't want it anymore, it's yours."

"Now I wonder what's made you have such a sudden change of heart." Morgause replied knowingly, "Could it be that you've found what you're looking for?"

Arthur's blood ran cold at Morgause's words. He knew that she had worked out who Merlin was long before he had. A sinking feeling filled his stomach as he realised that this might not be quite as simple as he had planned. However his determination was still in place, there was no way he was going to let them get at Merlin without a fight.

"I won't let you harm him." Arthur said stubbornly, gripping the hilt of his sword.

"Now now little prince, there isn't really anything you can do about it now is there?" Morgause replied smugly.

Drawing his sword Arthur's gaze flickered between the two sisters, trying to figure out which was the greatest threat. Morgana smiled, amused at Arthur's attempt to defy them.

"You really think you can stop us with that?" She asked Arthur patronisingly.

Deep down Arthur knew that he didn't really stand a chance against the two sorcerers but that wasn't going to stop him. Arthur had never been one to shy away from a challenge and the thought of Merlin in the boat behind him spurred him on. If he was honest he still didn't really understand his feelings towards the young warlock, he just knew that he couldn't let anything harm him.

Morgause however seemed to have other plans. She advanced on Arthur but the prince held his ground, determined not to let Morgause see the nervous apprehension that was flooding through him. However he didn't really stand a chance against her magic as, before he had a chance to fight back, Morgause said something in a language he didn't understand, and everything went black.

x-x-x

Nimueh stepped out from the trees as Arthur crumpled to the ground. She stared down distastefully at the unconscious Pendragon before turning to the sisters.

"You could have dealt with him much quicker than that." She said disapprovingly.

However she knew that Morgause liked to play with her pray and hadn't really expected anything else. This didn't stop the impatience that had welled within her as she had watched Morgause taunt the prince. She knew that they didn't have long before Merlin disobeyed the prince's instructions and came looking for him. She knew the boy; she'd raised his since he was a child, and knew that he wouldn't be able to sit in the boat long waiting for the prince.

Morgause just ignored Nimueh's words as she attached the pouch Arthur had given them to her belt. Rolling her eyes Nimueh continued on with her part of the plan. A muttered spell and a flash of gold had Arthur floating slightly off the ground. A motion from her hand had the prince slowly floating in the opposite direction from the way he had come.

The two sisters watched as Nimueh disappeared into the trees with Arthur's floating body. Although this was part of the plan Morgana still wasn't comfortable with the way things were heading. Turning to her sister she asked the question that had been eating away at her since they had sat in the clearing with Nimueh, deciding what to do.

"Sister why are we letting her remove the prince? Why don't we just kill him now?" She asked confused.

A small smile appeared on Morgause's face as she turned to her sister.

"Because if the prince dies now, in the middle of the forest, suspicion is naturally going to fall on us." Morgause explained, "It's unavoidable. We were forced to show our hand in front of those imbeciles that call themselves knights. It's inevitable that word would get back to Uther and then we would be done for."

Morgana thought this over, realising that Morgause was right. A smirk crossed the younger sister's face as she cottoned on.

"But if he dies in the castle we can't be to blame. After all Camelot's security is impenetrable." Morgana added sarcastically, knowing the amount of times the two of them had slipped past the guards without them being any the wiser.

"Besides we don't even need to interfere." Morgause continued, "He used the crystal to find Emrys, he's cursed."

x-x-x

Merlin had sat in the boat waiting for Arthur for a good couple of minutes before he became restless. The feeling of foreboding had increased and he knew that something bad was going to happen, if it hadn't already. Suddenly he remembered the images that had flashed through his head when he had picked up the crystal in the tower. He pushed the images of Camelot and the orbs aside, focusing on the last image.

It was of Arthur, lying deathly still on the ground. Fear coursed through Merlin as he worried that, as the other two images had come to pass, this one was about to happen. Gritting his teeth Merlin knew that there was no way he was going to let anything happen to Arthur.

Deciding that he had waited long enough Merlin carefully climbed out of the boat. He staggered slightly as his feet touched the ground, his legs unused to the feel of solid ground after the time in the boat. However, after catching his balance on the large rock next to him, Merlin soon regained control of his legs and he headed in the direction Arthur had disappeared in.

Pausing at the edge of the trees Merlin shook out his feet, which had gotten wet when he had climbed out of the boat, and peered into the forest. He couldn't see anything however that didn't deter him. He was determined to find Arthur and keep him safe. He pressed on into the trees without hesitation.

A few steps in Merlin found himself in a small clearing with two figures in the middle. He instantly recognised the two women who had tried to kill him and Arthur earlier in the journey. Warily his gaze flickered around the clearing however there was no sign of Arthur.

Turning his attention back to the two women Merlin saw a flicker of surprise cross the dark haired women's, he remembered Arthur had called her Morgana, face. However it was swiftly replaced by a calculating look as she watched him approach.

"Where's Arthur?" He asked the pair.

He hoped that his voice sounded much stronger than he felt because, now faced with the two sorceresses, he was feeling decidedly less confident. They were experienced sorcerers whilst he only knew some basic spells, having worked on instinct more than knowledge.

"He's gone." The blonde, Morgause if he remembered right, replied, "Somewhere where you'll never find him."

"What did you do to him?" Merlin snapped, feeling anger well inside his usually calm self.

"What makes you think we did anything?" She replied smoothly.

Merlin grit his teeth, knowing that he wasn't going to get a straight answer from them. However before he had a chance to say anything else a ball of fire was heading swiftly his way. Instinctively he threw up his hand, creating the same shield around himself that he had used the first time they had met.

He successfully deflected the spell however the force of it was enough to send him staggering backwards. The fading gold in Morgause's eyes told him exactly where the attack had come from and he glared daggers at the blonde, slowly gathering his magic around him.

"It's nothing personal Emrys." Morgause explained as another fire ball headed towards him, "But we need you out of the way for our plans to succeed."

"My name is not Emrys." Merlin replied through gritted teeth.

He was getting sick of just defending against Morgause's onslaught. However, not knowing any real spells; he worked on instinct, following his words with a cry of:

"_Æledfýr_."

He felt the familiar burn behind his eyes and knew that they would be blazing gold as a jet of fire headed towards the sisters. Morgause's dismissed it quickly before it did them any damage. However there was a careful look in her eyes as if she'd realised that she was dealing with more than she had anticipated.

Morgana, who had been merely watching up to this point, decided to speak in response to Merlin's denial.

"Arthur didn't tell you?" She asked pityingly, "That's a shame. Maybe he doesn't really care for you at all."

Although Merlin didn't understand what Arthur was supposed to have told him, Morgana's words felt like a knife stabbing through his heart. He was already feeling insecure after Arthur's strange behaviour after their kiss, though now he realised that Arthur had probably seen the sisters on the shore, and Morgana's words fed on an already open wound.

However Merlin didn't really have a chance to reply as all of a sudden he was met by a barrage of spells from both the sisters. Shock flooded through him at the strength of their attack. For all his bravado he didn't really know what he was doing. It was all he could do to defend himself from their attack.

The clearing was full of bright lights and flashes as spells flew back and forth between them. However soon it was apparent to Merlin that he wouldn't be able to last long like this. Unused to having to use this much of his magic Merlin found himself tiring quickly. He had never faced an attack like this, having been kept safe in the tower his whole life, and so found the energy draining out of him.

He was unsure exactly when it happened but suddenly he found himself on the floor, his legs having given way beneath him. Spots danced in front of his eyes as a wave of dizziness crashed over him. Although he was inexperienced he knew that he wasn't going to be able to last much longer. He could only hope that Arthur was safe.

However suddenly something changed and the pressure that had been bearing down on him disappeared. Glancing up Merlin saw Morgana and Morgause lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. A frown crossed his face as he wondered what exactly had happened. He had been on the brink of defeat and suddenly the sisters had ended up passed out on the floor whilst he was relatively unhurt.

His gaze soon landed on the woman who had appeared at the other side of the clearing and he realised what had happened. His mother surveyed the two sisters for a moment before rushing over to greet him.

Nimueh knelt down on grass next to Merlin and wrapped her arms around his trembling frame. Merlin's whole body was shaking from exhaustion and he relaxed into her familiar, comforting embrace. A soft sigh escaped Merlin's lips as he realised he was safe.

His eyes shot open as he remembered the reason he had entered the clearing in the first place. His eyes raked the area once again for any sign of the prince. However nothing jumped out at him.

"Arthur."

The name fell from Merlin's lips involuntarily and, if he hadn't been so caught up in worry for the blonde, he would have noticed Nimueh's whole body tense against him before she regained control. Instead he pulled himself away from her, determined to find Arthur.

"He's not here Merlin." Nimueh whispered softly.

He ignored her words and stood up. Spinning on the spot he searched for anything that would indicate what had happened to Arthur.

"He's gone." Nimueh said, not moving from her spot on the floor.

"He wouldn't." Merlin replied adamantly.

He heard Nimueh sigh softly behind him but he ignored her again. Closing his eyes he focused his magic, sending it out around him, searching for any sign of the prince. He felt a tug to his left and, without even questioning it, he followed the direction of the pull.

Moving through the trees he knew his mother was following him but he paid her no attention. Bursting out of the trees Merlin realised he had reached the edge of the lake once again. However this was not the same spot where they had landed.

This wasn't what captured Merlin's attention though. His gaze was focused on the boat sailing away from the shore. The lake had mainly cleared and so the boat stood out in front of him. But Merlin was focused on the figure stood on the boat. Even in the dim light Merlin could make out the distinctive blonde haired figure.

There was no doubt that it was Arthur on the boat, what Merlin didn't understand was why he seemed to be sailing away. An ache formed in the pit of his stomach as he watched Arthur slowly sail away.

"I don't…" He muttered breathlessly.

"I'm sorry darling." Nimueh's voice came from behind him.

She moved to stand next Merlin, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I don't understand." Merlin managed to choke out.

"I said you couldn't trust him. He got what he wanted and now he's left you."

His eyes were prickling as tears formed in them. The ache in his stomach had turned into throbbing agony and he felt as if he was going to throw up. A sharp pain flashed through his chest as if someone had just stabbed him in the heart. Denial was flooding through Merlin's mind but he couldn't argue with the evidence that was right in front of his eyes. Arthur had gone, had left him here all alone. Merlin's legs buckled beneath him as anguish gripped him. He sank to the ground, his mind clouded with despair.

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**Airabella: **Thank you! Yes Arthur gets there in the end, it just takes him a while to work it out. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**EpsilonFreak: **Thank you so much for your kind words. And for the warning, I wil look out for that.

**Dee: **Thank you!


	17. Chapter 17

Late again, I'm really not good at this updating regularly thing. :D Anyway apologies etc. (you know the drill) And thank you to those amazing people who have been reviewing. I really hope everyone enjoys this.

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"Merlin!"

The cry ripped from Arthur's throat the moment he regained consciousness. He tried to move, to find a way to get back to the young warlock, but he found that he was stuck in place. Panic welled up inside of him as he tried to move something, anything. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get any of his muscles to obey him.

Arthur closed his eyes, taking long slow breaths, as he tried to calm the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. Feeling calm return Arthur opened his eyes and took in his situation. He was standing in the middle of a boat, larger than the one had been on with Merlin, as it headed towards the shore and Camelot. Glancing down at himself Arthur could see nothing binding him in place however he knew that it must be magic that was keeping him prisoner.

Not for the first time, Arthur cursed the Le Fay sisters. He knew that, now he was out of the way, they would have gone after Merlin and there was nothing he could do about it. Anger roared inside of him as he once again tried to break free of his bonds. However sheer will power wasn't enough and Arthur soon found beads of sweat forming on his brow with the exertion, yet he was still no closer to being free.

By this point Arthur had almost reached the opposite shore of the lake that led straight into Camelot. He could make out figures mulling around, enjoying the rest of the festival. He could even make out the tell tail flashes of red that told him his knights were patrolling the town. There was no way he was going to go unnoticed when the boat arrived at the shore. And there was definitely no way they were just going to free him and let him go back after Merlin, his father would never allow it.

However Arthur was powerless to prevent any of this as the boat bumped against the shore and came to a rest. There was a moment where the boat just floated there, unnoticed by anyone on the shore. That, however, didn't last long as Arthur heard someone cry his name and saw people start to move towards him.

Sir Owen and Sir Kay were the first to reach the boat, wading into the water to pull it further towards the shore. Owen, being the younger and more agile of the two, swiftly climbed into the boat and stood in front of Arthur. The young knight's dark hair and bright eyes swam in front of Arthur's vision as the knight inspected Arthur worriedly.

"Sire?" Owen asked, "Sire can you hear me?"

"Of course I can bloody hear you." Arthur snapped, "Get me down from here."

He knew he was being irrationally irritable but Arthur found frustration welling up inside of him. He knew how this was going to end, knew that he was going to end up in front of his father and probably in a cell for the rest of the night.

He felt the boat dip backwards and Arthur knew that Sir Kay had climbed up behind him. He felt hands on his shoulders and would have flinched had he been able to move. Instead he was forced to remain still as Kay tried to work out what was wrong. He heard the older knight call to someone in the crowd to fetch a sorcerer and he felt relief flood through him as he realised that he might soon be able to get out of here and get back to Merlin.

"What happened Sire?" Sir Kay asked.

"Morgause and Morgana." Arthur replied simply, "They're in a clearing on the other side of the lake. They may still be there if you hurry." He instructed.

"I'll dispatch a troop immediately." Kay replied.

"Merlin! He'll be there, you have to help him!" Arthur suddenly replied panicked.

Owen opened his mouth, about to ask who Merlin was, however he was interrupted by a women on the shore. Her startled cry drew everyone's attention as the tall woman hitched up her skirts and waded into the water towards the boat. Owen grabbed her arm as she approached, helping her up onto the boat. She moved into Arthur's view and he recognised her as Elaine who worked as a healer in the lower town.

She ran a critical gaze over Arthur before sweeping her dirty blonde hair out of her way and closing her eyes, resting one hand on Arthur's shoulder. He felt the thrum of her magic as it surrounded him, slowly severing the bonds that were keeping him in place. After what felt like hours to Arthur Elaine eventually opened her eyes and Arthur saw them fading back to their normal grey.

The moment she released him Arthur felt his legs give way beneath him and Kay caught him before he hit the ground. He vaguely registered Elaine staggering backwards, only staying upright thanks to Owen's arm round her waist, however his mind was elsewhere, focused on getting back to Merlin.

Before the older knight could react Arthur had shrugged off Kay's grip and was vaulting over the edge of the boat and heading towards the shore. He heard the two knights on the boat call after him but he ignored them, determined to find Merlin. By now most of the crowd on the shore had dispersed. As it was late Arthur presumed that they had returned to their homes for the night. Unfortunately for him his knights hadn't disappeared and, as he tried to move back towards where he had left Merlin, he found his arm caught in a strong grip.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Arthur demanded furiously, rounding on the knight holding him in place.

However Sir Tristan didn't let him go and, before Arthur could make any other demands his other arm was grabbed by another knight. Arthur struggled against their hold, trying to break free. However he had trained them well and neither man let him go.

"I am your prince and I demand that you release me!" Arthur ordered.

"I'm sorry sire." Kay, who had climbed off the boat after him, spoke, "But we have our orders from the King, we are not to let you leave."

"You don't understand. I have to find Merlin! I have to save him!" Arthur yelled.

He was struggling with all his might, trying to escape. Frustration and sheer panic was fuelling his desire to get free and he knew that he couldn't give in, couldn't just let them take him to his father. Not if he wanted to save Merlin. Adrenaline was coursing through him making it much harder for the two knights to keep hold of him. Arthur felt himself being grabbed from behind by another pair of hands and growled in frustration.

"You don't understand, I found him! I found Emrys!" Arthur yelled, "He's here, he's in danger!"

"That's impossible sire. I think we'd know if Emrys was here." Key replied.

"Listen to me!" Arthur practically screamed desperately, "He's in trouble."

"Sire you're exhausted, you need to rest." Kay said soothingly.

"I don't need to rest; I need you to let me go!" Arthur yelled angrily.

He hadn't stopped struggling against his knights as he spoke and he saw Kay sigh in frustration and signal to someone. Elaine moved forward to stand next to Kay and Arthur's eyes widened as he realised what was about to happen.

"Don't Kay! Please listen to me!"

Kay hesitated; he had never heard the pleading tone in Arthur's voice before. That, and the fact that the prince was so desperate, gave Kay reason to pause. He knew that once the prince was focused on something he would do anything to see it through, and he was never one to take something like this lightly. Most of Camelot knew about the prince's obsession with Emrys, though they would never tell him so, and Kay thought that if anyone could find the lost boy it would be Arthur.

However Arthur wasn't king yet and, as much as Kay admired the man, his orders came from Uther and he had to obey them. And at the moment their instructions were to find the prince and bring him back to the castle no matter what. Although something inside Kay wanted to hear Arthur out and see if his story held any weight, he knew that it was more than his life was worth to disobey the king.

Nodding to Elaine Kay hoped that he'd made the right decision. He saw that panic increase in Arthur's eyes as the young prince's struggles increased. However his actions were futile as Elaine spoke, in a language Kay did not understand, and Arthur went limp in the knights' arms.

x-x-x

Arthur let out a low groan as he slowly drifted back into consciousness. His head was throbbing and his whole body ached. He cracked his eyes open, squinting against the bright light, and tried to resist the urge to close his eyes again and go back to sleep. Arthur blinked rapidly and his vision slowly cleared.

Sitting up slowly Arthur took in his surroundings. It only took a moment for him to realise that he was in a cell in the dungeons. The bars to the cell were in front of him and there was a small ledge to his left that was supposed to be used as a bed, though he had been lying on the floor.

It took the blonde a moment to work out why he was in the dungeons, but as soon as he did Arthur felt energy flooding through him. He jumped up, practically running over to the bars. His eyes scanned the rest of the dungeons that he could see, looking for some way to get out. Failing to find one Arthur resorted to plan B.

"Hey! Let me out!" He yelled, shaking the bars of his cell noisily, "I order you to let me out!"

He heard footsteps echoing down the corridor and he spotted two guards rounding the corner, heading towards his cell.

"I demand that you release me at once." Arthur ordered, putting as much authority into his voice that he could master.

"I'm sorry sire, we can't release you." One guard replied apologetically.

"You don't understand I have to get out of here. I have to find Merlin!"

"It's the king's orders."

Desperation was flooding into his voice as he spoke. He knew it was futile; they weren't going to disobey a direct order from the king no matter how persuasive he was.

"Then you'd better go tell my father that I demand to speak to him." Arthur fumed.

The two guards bowed and swiftly left, clearly keen to get away from the angry prince. Arthur felt despair flood through him as he realised that it was unlikely he was going to be getting out of here any time soon. His father could be stubborn at times and Arthur had known when he had left against his father's wishes that there was going to be consequences. He just hadn't known that it would be Merlin who would suffer as well.

Arthur had sunk back against the wall once the guards had gone, but at the sound of more footsteps he scrambled to his feet, heading back towards the bars. He watched as Uther rounded the corner flanked by Leon and Gilli. He presumed that the pair had been informed that he had been found and they had returned to Camelot at the news.

"Father you have to let me out of here." Arthur spoke before Uther had even reached his cell.

"Arthur you disobeyed my instructions, you knew there would be consequences. I am not letting you out until you have learnt your lesson." Uther replied calmly.

"You don't understand…" Arthur began only to be cut off.

"No Arthur _you _don't understand." Uther snapped, his temper getting the better of him, "You are the heir to the throne, you can't just go wondering off on some fool's errand. You have responsibilities. You are going to be king one day; you have to learn that nothing comes before your kingdom."

"Father I found him, I found Emrys. He's in the clearing, I told Kay to send someone." Arthur tried to explain, however Uther just shook his head.

"Arthur they searched the whole forest. There was no sign of Emrys." Uther sighed, "They did however find Morgana and Morgause lying unconscious. They have been arrested for the attempt on your life however they aren't talking."

Arthur vaguely registered the strain in his father's voice as he mentioned Morgana's betrayal however his mind was focused on Merlin. If the sisters had been unconscious then maybe he had managed to fight them off. However Arthur knew that the young warlock didn't know the area and he could have ended up anywhere. He knew that he had to get out and find the boy; there was no way Merlin was going to be able to cope on his own.

"Please father, you have to let me out. I have to find him, he could be anywhere." Arthur pleaded.

"Son I have dispatched troops throughout the area. If Emrys is here then we will find him."

"Father he doesn't know the area; he'll not be able to survive on his own. You can punish me all you want later but first I have to find Merlin."

Uther's eyes widened as Arthur said Merlin's name and he seemed to freeze, staring at Arthur stunned. The young prince frowned at his father confused, wondering what had caused that reaction.

"Where did you hear that name?" Uther asked slowly.

"Merlin?" Arthur replied confused, "He's Emrys. I know he is. I used the crystal, it glowed in his hands. Please father you have to believe me, I can bring him home."

Any sign that Uther was warming to Arthur's pleas disappeared as he mention the crystal. The king's eyes hardened and he squared his shoulders determinedly.

"If he's here then we will find him." Uther repeated, "Your life is too important to risk in this way."

"Then let me take a group of knights. You know I am capable of looking after myself, there would be no danger."

"I take it Morgause did not fully explain the crystal to you." Uther replied wearily.

"What does that matter?" Arthur cried in despair, "We're wasting time here."

"The crystal is dangerous." Uther snapped, "Although it takes the user to Emrys, it is written that whoever activates its power is doomed to death. I will not risk your life Arthur. You are my only heir; I will not have you throw that all away."

Arthur stared at his father stunned as the king turned and swept away. Shock flooded through him as he realised the implications of his father's words. He vaguely wondered if Morgana had been aware of this, for he was certain Morgause was, but his focus was still on Merlin. Right at that moment he would happily sacrifice his life as long as he knew that the young warlock was safe.

"Leon, please!" Arthur called as the knight turned to follow his king, "You saw him, you saw what he can do. I know I'm right, you have to get me out of here."

Leon hesitated, exchanging a look with Gilli. However a call from down the corridor echoed towards them and Leon knew that they had to follow their king. Without another look at the prince he left the dungeons, Gilli close behind him.

Arthur watched them go as despair flooded through him. He had failed. He hadn't managed to bring Merlin home and now the boy was probably lost and alone and it was entirely his fault. And on top of that it seemed his was doomed to die. He moved back to his previous position at the other side of the cell and sank back down onto the floor. Leaning his head back against the wall Arthur closed his eyes, sinking deeper into the hopelessness that was overwhelming him.

x-x-x

Leon and Gilli had escorted the king back to his chambers and had then been dismissed. They had spent the walk from the dungeons in silence, both lost in thought. However neither felt able to voice them within the king's presence. The moment the king had left them however Gilli grabbed Leon's arm, dragging him into a deserted corridor.

"What are we going to do?" He asked, releasing the older knight.

"What do you mean what are we going to do?" Leon asked, "We're going to continue our duties as we have been instructed."

Leon turned to leave but Gilli grabbed his arm again, holding him in place.

"What if Arthur's right? What if that boy he was with is Emrys?"

"We have no evidence of that."

"No evidence? Leon he felled a tree over a river and then destroyed it so we couldn't cross without even breaking a sweat." Gilli exclaimed, "I'm not sure I could do that and I've been training in magic since I could walk! The boy was clearly untrained yet he had so much raw power. He could be Emrys."

"Gilli the king has ordered the prince to be kept in the dungeons, there's nothing we can do about it. There are people out looking for Emrys; if he's out there they'll find him."

"You think they're going to find him?" Gilli asked incredulous, "They don't know what he looks like, they don't really know who he is."

"What do you want me to do Gilli?" Leon asked the young sorcerer, "You want us to go find Emrys ourselves?"

"No. He won't trust us and you know it. He'll only trust the prince."

Leon sighed as he realised what Gilli was asking.

"You're insane." He said, shaking his head, "You want to disobey a direct order from the king and break the prince out?"

"Well it wouldn't be the first time we've sided with Arthur over Uther." Gilli replied with a small smile.

Leon rolled his eyes before turning and walking down the corridor. Gilli watched him go with a frown. He had been sure that Leon was going to agree with him. Gilli had no doubt in his mind that the prince was right. Although Leon was the experienced knight Gilli knew magic, and he knew what he had felt in the forest.

"Well, are you coming or not?" Leon called over his shoulder.

A bright smile crossed Gilli's face and he ran to catch up with Leon.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"To get reinforcements." Leon replied with a wicked smile.


	18. Chapter 18

Look it's still Tuesday! Well it is for another 15 minutes anyway, which totally counts. :D This chapter is dedicated to Methur Dreamer for the amazing reviews! Thank you so much! And thank you to everyone else who has reviewed. You guys are brilliant and have definitely motivated me to get this chapter up on time. I really hope you all enjoy it!

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Arthur hadn't moved from his spot on the floor of his cell since his father had left. His mind had run through every possibility of escape. And every plan he could think of had quickly been dismissed as impossible. Despair was flooding through him but he once again forced his eyes to open and look for a way out. However he knew these dungeons like the back of his hand and knew that he wasn't going to find a way out.

Helplessness washed over him and he closed his eyes again, leaning his head back against the wall behind him. With a sigh he found pictures of Merlin dancing in front of his closed eyelids. He conjured up images of his cheeky smile, the mischievous glint in his eyes, the way they had softened every time he had looked at Arthur. The blonde had replayed their kiss over and over again in his head, reliving every second of the moment.

He longed to be out of this cell, to be able to go find him. Arthur had spent his whole life being taught how a knight should protect others and keep them from harm and now he couldn't even protect the person he cared about the most. Because he could finally admit that he loved Merlin, probably had since he had first opened his eyes and come face to face with his tall skinny frame and striking blue eyes.

So lost in his own thoughts Arthur almost missed the commotion at the other end of the corridor. In actual fact it took a moment for his sleep deprived, as he had been unable to get any rest due to worry, brain to register what he had heard. By the time it did the footsteps had nearly reached his reached his cell.

Arthur scrambled to his feet, wondering who had decided to break in, or out, of the dungeons this week. He didn't have to wait long for his answer as a figure soon appeared in front of his cell.

"Gwaine?" he asked confused, recognising the other man from the tavern.

"Need a hand princess?" The brunette asked with a smirk.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the older man whilst his mind went into overdrive trying to work out what Gwaine was doing here. His question was soon answered as Leon appeared next to Gwaine, holding a ring of keys.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked confused, unsure why this unlikely pair had come to his aid.

"Your mate said Merlin was in trouble." Gwaine replied dismissively as Leon inserted a key into the cell door, "And anyway, I can never refuse a damsel in distress." He continued, dropping a sly wink at Arthur.

Arthur ignored Gwaine's last comment as the cell door swung open. Stepping out he clasped Leon's arm with a smile.

"Thank you my friend."

"It's Gilli you should be thanking." Leon replied, indicating the sorcerer who had just joined the group, breathing rather heavily, "He's the one who convinced me you were right about Emrys."

Arthur smiled at Gilli and placed a thankful hand on his shoulder. However, before he could speak, a shout echoed towards them.

"Come on, we'd better get out of here." Leon replied.

The group stared to head back the way they had come from when Arthur paused. He realised that there was something he had to do first.

"Come on mate, this is no time for hesitation." Gwaine grabbed his arm, pulling him along, "Lancelot, Elyan and the others are keeping the route clear but they won't be able to hold them off forever."

"There is one thing I have to do." Arthur protested, pulling free of Gwaine's grip he turned to Leon, "Where are Morgana and Morgause being held?"

"Sire we aren't breaking them out as well." Leon protested, "They tried to kill you."

"I just need to talk to them." Arthur clarified, "They may be the only ones that know what happened to Merlin."

"You two go help the others." Gilli instructed, "I'll take him to them."

Leon didn't look pleased but he could see that Arthur wasn't going to be swayed.

"Five minutes." The knight insisted, "And then I'm coming back to drag you out of here myself."

Arthur nodded to Leon before following Gilli. The pair raced through the dungeons, ignoring the surprised cries from the prisoners as they passed. The sorcerer in front of him seemed to know where he was going so Arthur didn't question him.

Eventually Gilli slowed to a stop in front of an archway. He held his hand out in front of him. Arthur had no idea what he was doing but after a few moments a blue wall flickered into existence in the archway. Another word from Gilli had the wall swiftly disappearing.

"They're in there." Gilli said, indicating the first cell after the archway.

Arthur hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. He stood in front of the cell Gilli had indicated, taking in its inhabitants. Both the le Fay sisters had manacles fastened around their wrists, keeping their magic contained. Morgause was sat on the small bench, looking as smug and self-confident as always. Morgana on the other hand was slumped on the floor looking utterly defeated. She glanced up at the sound of movement and her eyes widened as they locked with Arthur's.

"Arthur?" She whispered weakly.

As she spoke Morgause turned to look at him as well, an ugly sneer marring her usually beautiful features.

"I heard you'd been locked up too little prince." She sneered, "Or did you manage to talk daddy into letting you free?"

Arthur ignored her taunts, focusing on the reason he was here.

"Where is he?" He demanded, "What did you do with him?"

"What makes you think we did anything?" Morgause replied, faking innocence.

Arthur growled in frustration and reigned in the urge to hit something. He knew that Morgause was unlikely to tell him anything but he hoped he could get Morgana to talk.

"Morgana please, I have to find him."

The raven haired witch looked as if she wanted to talk but her gaze kept flickering to Morgause. Arthur frowned, knowing he was going to have to find another way to get her to talk.

"Thanks for the warning about the crystal Morgause." He said causally.

He saw the blonde tense at his words but kept going regardless.

"It was so nice of you to tell me about the curse. But there is one thing I'm curious about. What were you going to do if I hadn't gone to Morgana for help? Because I know that you wanted to find Emrys but somehow I can't see you being one to risk being doomed to certain death."

Arthur watched Morgause carefully. He had been trained his whole life to look for subtle movements that would give your opponent away. And he didn't miss the way Morgause's gaze flickered to Morgana and back.

"Oh so you were going to have Morgana use it, your beloved sister." Arthur said with mock realisation, "I take it you didn't know about the curse?" He asked Morgana.

However the younger witch wasn't paying him any attention, her focus was on Morgause.

"Is it true?" She hissed.

"Of course not sister dear." Morgause replied dismissively, "He's trying to play you."

However Morgana wasn't convinced. Her mind was running over everything Morgause had ever said to her in regard to the crystal. She remembered Morgause assuring her that the curse was just Uther being paranoid and that she would be fine if she used it. And then the way Morgause seemed so unconcerned about Nimueh removing Arthur as he had used the crystal and so was cursed.

"You bitch." Morgana hissed at her sister as she scrambled to her feet.

Arthur could see the way Morgana was glaring at her sister. That, coupled with her clenched fists, told Arthur exactly what she was planning to do.

"Morgana." He said, focusing her attention back on him, "Please I need to know what happened to him."

Morgana turned her back on Morgause and moved over to the bars. She grabbed hold of them and suddenly Arthur, once again, saw the innocent girl that he had always wanted to protect, rather than the woman who had betrayed his trust.

"I am so sorry." She whispered as the full weight of what she'd done hit her, "I am so so sorry."

Arthur reached forward and covered her hands with his own as a tear fell down Morgana's cheek.

"It's okay." He said, smiling sadly at her.

"I think Nimueh took him."

Arthur frowned, wracking his brains to work out why he recognised that name.

"She was the court sorceress when you were born, the one who Uther blamed for your mother's death."

And suddenly Arthur remembered. He remembered the stories Gaius had told him when he was little about his parents and Nimueh and the trouble they used to get into. He remembered finding out later that it was her that his father blamed for the loss of his mother and had banished for it. He thought of the portrait he had found one day of his mother and a dark haired woman, that Gaius had later identified as Nimueh, both of them smiling happily.

"She was the one who took Emrys in the first place." Morgana explained.

Arthur realised that he knew exactly where he needed to go. He knew where Merlin would be.

"Sire we have to go." Gilli's impatient call came from behind him.

"Thank you." Arthur said to Morgana, "I promise I will come back for you."

And with that he released Morgana's hands and followed Gilli back down the corridor. He could hear Morgana yelling at her sister even as they rounded the corner and knew that Morgause was in for hell.

x-x-x

The pair ran through the corridors of Camelot castle, heading towards the front doors. They burst out into the courtyard and skidded to a halt as they took in the chaos in front of them. Arthur's eyes widened in shock as he recognised many of the faces from The Rising Sun. He spotted Lancelot in the crowd fighting off Sir Tristan and marvelled at the untrained man's skills.

"How did you get so many of them here?" Arthur asked Gilli.

"Well once that Gwaine fellow said he was in they all seemed very up for it." Gilli said with a wry smile, "But it's Leon you have to thank really. He managed to convince Gwaine to come."

Arthur smiled at the thought of his best knight trying to convince a tavern full of people that they should break into Camelot and rescue the prince. However he was distracted from his thoughts as a cry came through the crowd.

"Arthur!"

Leon's call alerted Arthur to the seriousness of the situation and he plunged forward into the crowd. Fighting his way past knight and commoner alike he eventually reached Leon who was at the other end of the courtyard with Gwaine, keeping the gateway clear.

"You have to go sire." Leon called as he fended off a blow from Sir Kay.

Arthur briefly marvelled at the ridiculous of the situation that meant his knights were now fighting each other.

"Gwen's waiting just outside Camelot with a horse for you." Gwaine called as he swung his sword at the knight he was facing with a wide grin.

Arthur thought that the other man seemed to be enjoying this all way too much and resolved to find out where exactly he had learnt to use a sword.

"Thank you." Arthur said sincerely to Leon, "I won't forget your loyalty."

"Just make sure you bring back Emrys or it's all our heads on the line." Leon replied with a smile.

With that Arthur ducked past the pair and sprinted out of the courtyard and through the empty streets of Camelot. Reaching the outskirts of the city Arthur glanced back briefly at the castle behind him. A smile appeared on his face as he knew that the next time he would be here Merlin would be by his side.

Turning his back to Camelot he spotted a figure with a horse, illuminated by the rising sun, just outside the city walls. He headed towards it, determination filling him. As he came closer he recognised Gwen who was smiling at him.

"Sire I prepared your horse." She informed him, handing over the reins.

"Thank you Guinevere." He replied as he mounted swiftly.

"I know you'll be a great king one day." She said softly, a faint blush colouring her cheeks, "I hope you find him."

"So do I." Arthur replied before turning his horse and cantering away from Camelot.

x-x-x

"There, there dear, it's okay." Nimueh whispered softly to him, "We're home now; everything is going to be okay."

Merlin didn't reply or even make any indication that he'd heard her. He had been in a half daze ever since they had left Camelot and returned to the tower. His mother had tried to start up conversations, but after his lack of response she soon got the hint and gave up. Merlin felt hollow, despair seemed to have seeped inside of him and taken up residence in his heart. Every time he thought of the past couple of days a flash of pain shot through his chest.

They had made their way back to the tower and Merlin was now slumped on his bed, staring blankly at the wall opposite. His mother was sat next to him, muttering words of encouragement. However her words just seemed to wash over him as his mind wondered back over the past couple of days. He screwed his eyes tight shut, trying to block out the images of Arthur; his laugh, his eyes, his kiss.

"He's gone now darling, it's all over. Everything can go back to how it was before."

Merlin felt the bed move as his mother got up and left the room. He sighed as he mulled over her words. The problem was that he didn't want everything to go back to the way they were before Arthur had landed in his life. The last couple of days had been the best days of his life and he hadn't wanted them to end, especially the way it had ended.

He sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to forget the blonde that had blasted into his life so suddenly. He slumped back onto his bed, staring up at the celling. He knew it was futile. There was no way he was going to be able to go downstairs and face his mother and pretend that he was fine.

Permitting himself to give in to the memories he had been trying to supress, he allowed them to wash over him. He let his magic flow out of him, creating images in the air. It was hardly a surprise to him that the first image his magic conjured up was of Arthur. The blonde was laughing as he walked through Camelot, showing Merlin around. The young warlock sighed as his heart clenched and he banished the image swiftly. Instead he replaced it with an image of the conjured orbs floating up into the sky.

A small smile tugged at his lips as he remembered staring up at the lights from the boat. It felt like he had been building towards that moment for his whole life. He wouldn't trade that for anything. Merlin knew that if he had the choice he would do it all over again, he wouldn't trade away the experience just to relieve his heart ache.

He relaxed further into his bed, allowing his magic to form memories subconsciously. He watched as the images swirled and changed around him. The look of amazement on Arthur's face as he healed him, the chaos of the battle as they ran from the knights and the Le Fay sisters, the warm fire crackling in the hearth downstairs, Freya curled up in a small ball at the edge of his bed, a golden dragon twinkling in the moonlight.

Merlin's whole body tensed as the last image appeared, hovering in the air in front of him. He recognised the dragon as being the Pendragon's crest, having seen it many times in Camelot, but this memory definitely wasn't recent. It felt like he was looking up at the dragon attached to a string above his bed, twinkling as the moonlight poured through the window.

Before he could even question where it had come from more images seemed to form unbidden in front of his eyes. A large room he couldn't place with dragons adorning the wall and a crib in the centre, a tall dark man with his arm round a smiling woman as they both stared down at him lovingly, a blonde hair child peering down at him over the edge of the crib he was lying in.

Merlin sat bolt upright as he recognised the blue eyes of the blonde child. They were Arthur's eyes. Merlin wondered for a moment if he'd finally lost it, imagining Arthur as a child. But, now he really thought about it, the memory seemed too real for something his despair addled brain had conjured up.

Now he was thinking about it things that didn't seem to add up at the time started flashing through his mind. How Arthur was adamant that healing magic was impossible, the way the crystal glowed in his hands, Arthur's exclamation before they kissed, the Le Fay sisters strange attitude in the forest. All the pieces seemed to slot together and he finally understood. He knew now what Morgana had been talking about, what Arthur was supposed to have to him.

Suddenly anger and betrayal started to build inside of him as he realised exactly what this revelation meant. Swinging his legs of the bed he stormed out of his room only to practically crash into his mother as she was climbing the stairs.

"Merlin you really must be more careful." She scolded, "Come now, I've made you your favourite for dinner."

He didn't reply as he stared at her, feeling oddly impassive. A well of emotions was flooding through him and he didn't know where to begin. He knew however that he had to confront her, had to find out if he was right.

"I'm Emrys." He whispered shakily.

* * *

**Airabella: **I love Leon and Gilli too!


	19. Chapter 19

Once again huge thanks to you amazing people reviewing, I love you guys. And thanks to everyone else who's reading this, I'm so glad you've kept with it this far. This chapter's a little shorter than the others but I thought this was the perfect place to leave it (though you'll probably all hate me by the end). As always I hope you enjoy this!

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"I'm Emrys." Merlin whispered shakily.

"What was that Merlin?" Nimueh asked casually, though she had tensed at his words.

"I am Emrys, the boy stolen from the castle." Merlin repeated slowly.

Silence followed his words as Nimueh's eyes widened.

"Well?" Merlin snapped, "Is it true?"

"Of course not dear, where would you get a silly idea like that?" Nimueh replied airily, turning and heading back down the stairs, "Come on down, you're dinner is ready."

"Don't walk away from me mother." Merlin yelled, causing her to stop in her tracks, "Or should I even call you that?" He hissed.

Merlin watched Nimueh carefully, looking for any sign that he was mistaken. However there was no hint of denial in her features. He took a few steps towards her, anger making him shake from head to toe.

"It was you." Merlin said slowly, as all the pieces started to fit together, "It was all you. You took me from the castle, you're the one Arthur was trying to stop."

"Everything I've done was for you." Nimueh replied levelly, straightening up to her full height, "To protect you."

"It all makes sense now." He fumed, "I was never allowed to leave the tower, not to keep me safe, but so they couldn't find me."

Storming forward he pushed past her, stomping down the stairs.

"Merlin please." Nimueh called, following down after him.

"All my life you've said I should stay inside to protect myself from people who wanted to use my powers." Merlin whirled around to face her as he reached the bottom of the stairs, "When all this time it's _you_ who was using my power, _you_ I should have been hiding from."

Nimueh scoffed as she moved down the remainder of the stairs so she was inches away from Merlin.

"Where would you be without me? I have always protected you, fed you, cared for you." Nimueh fumed, "Don't you dare start acting as if I have ruined your life. I have given you all of this, you could have had much worse."

"But this isn't where I should be." Merlin yelled backing away to stand in the middle of the room, "I should have been with my real family, with people who love me for me rather than for what I can do."

"Like the Pendragons?" Nimueh scoffed, "Please, I saved you from having to life your life according to their whims. Trust me boy, I know what I'm talking about."

She stalked towards him, determined to make him understand.

"If you leave now you won't survive five minutes out there on your own." She hissed, "And where would you go? You think the prince really wants you? He'll just use you until he has what he wants and the moment something goes wrong he'll throw you to the dogs, just like his father."

"He's not like that." Merlin protested as realisation dawned upon him, "What did you do to him?"

"I just showed you what he was truly like. He would have left you of his own steam eventually. I told you before; Pendragon's always let you down."

Merlin's mind was whirling as he thought over everything. He didn't want to believe his mother was right but how much did he really know about Arthur? She took a few small steps closer so she was standing right in front of him.

"It's okay, don't worry. Everything's going to be just how it was before." Nimueh said soothingly.

She reached towards him, to place a hand on his shoulder. However she saw his eyes flash gold with anger and she pulled her hand back, stung, as it hit against the shield he had thrown up around himself.

"No." He snapped, "You were wrong about Arthur. And you were wrong about the world. It's not as dark and miserable as you think. There are good people out there and you're just too bitter to see it."

Drawing himself up to his full height he stared down and her.

"And you were wrong about me." Merlin said triumphantly, "I am not as helpless as you think. I can take care of myself and I am never, ever going to let you use my magic for your own vanity again."

He turned to walk away from her and something snapped inside Nimueh.

"You think I'm just going to let you go running back to your precious prince?" She hissed, "I will not let you give Uther the satisfaction of thinking he has won. You want to know what the world is like? I'll tell you."

"I don't want to hear any more of your lies." Merlin spat at her.

Nimueh's hand came up and she slapped him across the face. Merlin gasped, staggering backwards, his eyes wide in shock. He couldn't quite believe that she'd really hit him. After all these years he had believed she was his mother and she loved him and it turned out to be a lie, she didn't really care for him at all, only what he represented.

"What happened to you to make you so cold and heartless?" Merlin asked in despair, "Why do you hate Camelot so much?"

"Do you really want to know?" Nimueh asked coldly, "You really want to know the web of deceit and lies that lives at the heart of Camelot?"

There was a weird glint in Nimueh's eyes and Merlin started to back away from her slowly, fearful of what she was planning. He had never seen her like this before, and frankly it scared him. Merlin had seen her get angry and knew what she was capable of, but this was a whole new level.

He had almost reached the window when Nimueh cried out, her eyes flashing a blazing gold. Suddenly chains appeared out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around his wrists. He struggled against them but the other ends had attached themselves to the walls next to him, holding him in place. Pulling his magic to the surface Merlin tried to force it against the bonds, to break free. However Nimueh just laughed at his attempts.

"You really think you can break free from me Merlin dear?" She asked, "I have watched your magic grow and develop, I know your every weakness. Your magic is nothing compared to mine."

Merlin stopped struggling, knowing it was futile. Instead he turned his attention on the woman he had considered his mother for so long.

"Why?" He questioned quietly, "Why would you do all of this?"

"Why? Revenge of course." Nimueh replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Revenge against that hypocrite Uther Pendragon and his precious Camelot."

Turning away from him Nimueh started to pace the length of the tower. Merlin could see that she was lost in her memories now, intent on telling him the story.

"I used to believe in Uther Pendragon and the values of Camelot. I was the court sorceress and high priestess of the Old Religion, the most renowned sorceress in the land. So when the king reached desperation in his quest for a son who else would he turn to?"

Merlin could tell that Nimueh was getting more and more agitated however he also knew that nothing was going to change until she had vented her whole story. She turned to face him again, glaring at him as if the whole thing was his fault.

"And I warned him. I told him that to create a life, a life must be taken. But he was adamant that I should go ahead. And so your precious prince was born and, for a couple of months, everything was perfect.

"That was until the Queen fell ill. Uther, in all his ignorance, believed that he had managed to beat the balance of the world. But the price must always be paid. Nonetheless he sent out word for every healer in the land. They all tried to heal her though none were successful."

A soft sigh of despair fell from her lips as she lost herself in the memory of those days.

"But then the amulet was found." She continued quietly.

Moving forwards she stopped when she was barely an inch from him. Reaching out one hand she ran her fingertips across his cheek and down his neck. Reaching the top of his shirt she grabbed hold of the chain around his neck and pulled it out revealing the amulet, which had been hidden under his shirt. The glass star twinkled in the light, hiding the wealth of power that lay within it.

"Uther came to me with it as I was the only one with the power to wield it." Nimueh continued as if there had been no pause, her gaze still focused on the star, "And I was able to strengthen her hold on life, keep her life from being taken. But we got sloppy, convinced that we had beaten destiny. But a life must always be taken and eventually Ygraine passed away."

Merlin thought he saw a flicker of sadness in Nimueh's eyes, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. And she turned away, letting go of the chain around his neck, anger over taking her.

"And he blamed me." She spat, "Me who had warned him of the consequences, who had prolonged the time he got to spend with his wife, who allowed her the chance to get to know her son. Did I get any gratitude? No. Instead he banished me from my home, from Camelot."

Anger was practically radiating from Nimueh by this point as she fumed at the injustice.

"And then you were born." She turned a smile upon him, "The famed Emrys. The other side of the coin. And Uther held celebration after celebration for the bright future that was to come, a future that wouldn't have been possible without me. So I decided to prevent them from coming true. It took me a year to plan but it was so perfect. I gave them the prince and so I took the warlock." She sighed happily, "And you know the rest my dear. The icing on the cake was when I discovered you had more power over the amulet than me. Now I can stay young and beautiful whilst Uther wastes away."

A soft smile played across her lips as she thought of the king growing old alone in Camelot. She had grown accustomed to her perpetual youth and she wasn't going to let Merlin's sudden streak of rebellion ruin that for her. She muttered a quick spell and her eyes blazed gold as the chains holding Merlin in place moved, dragging the young warlock across the tower.

He collapsed on the other side of the room as the chains stopped pulling him. However the moment he stopped moving they wrapped themselves around his ankles as well. Nimueh stared down at him impassively. She realised that this was the image she had seen in the crystal of Merlin bound in chains. When the images had flashed through her mind the first time she had picked up the crystal she had presumed that it meant that someone was going to capture Merlin and she was going to have to rescue him and bring him home. Never had she thought she would be the one to bind him in chains.

x-x-x

Arthur bent low over his horse as he urged it faster as they cantered through the forest. His body was tight with tension as he feared what was happening to Merlin. The euphoria that had filled him on his escape from the dungeons had faded and given way to a cold dread that had trickled down his spine and an anxiousness that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

Bursting out of the trees he reached the dead end he had first come across with the Le Fay sisters. He practically jumped from his horse in his haste and hurried over to the rock face, running his hands over it to find the hidden opening.

Pushing the vines aside he ducked into the small opening, crawling through the tunnel. As he moved through the dark he briefly wished for Merlin's ability to create a light to illuminate his way. However thoughts of the young warlock had him surging swiftly forward and out of the tunnel into the sunlight.

Adrenaline was pumping through him and he set off towards the tower at a run. Despite his lack of sleep he was feeling energised and the ache of tiredness that had filled him in the dungeons had washed away. He longed to see the young warlock again, to see his messy hair and bright eyed smile.

As Arthur reached the tower he felt hope blossom inside of him. He glanced up at the window above him, hoping to see signs of life.

"Merlin!" He called, slightly out of breath, "Merlin let me up."

However there was no movement above him. Arthur's heart sank as there was no reply. He had really hoped that Merlin would conjure up the rope, making it easier to climb to the window. He didn't really fancy scaling the walls once again.

"Merlin!"

There was still no sign of a response from the window high above him so Arthur hurried towards the tower wall, preparing himself to climb up. However, before he had a chance to start climbing, a rope appeared, leading up to the window above him. Grasping the strong rope Arthur swiftly pulled himself up. Once he reached the window at the top of the tower Arthur grabbed hold of the ledge, pulling himself inside.

It was dark in the room in front of him and his eyes had to strain to make anything out. He could see the outline of a figure on the other side of the room and, as he moved in through the window, it soon came into focus. He realised that it was Merlin lying on the floor, his wrists and ankles bound in chains and his mouth was blocked by a gag.

Arthur felt his heart break a little as he saw how helpless Merlin was. Merlin's eyes widened at the sight of him and the young warlock writhed against his chains, trying to call out to Arthur. However his gag prevented any sound from escaping.

Almost without thought Arthur found himself lurching forward, his entire being focused on Merlin. That was why he didn't see the figure moving towards him until it was too late. A gasp tore from Arthur's lips as a fiery pain exploded in his stomach. In, what felt like slow motion, his hands moved to clutch at himself as he glanced down to see the knife protruding from his front.


	20. Chapter 20

Thank you much for everyone who is still reading and reviewing. I know that many of you hate me after the end of the last chapter so here is the next part you've all been waiting for. After this I think there's only going to be one more chapter and then an epilogue (unless I get carried away writing the next chapter, which does happen a lot). I feel quite sad that we're drawing to the end of this fic but all you wonderful reviewers have been brilliant and have definitely made this story worth writing. Anyway I'm going to stop babbling on and let you read the actual chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

Merlin froze as he watched the scene play out in front of him, powerless to stop it. He heard a sharp cry as Nimueh plunged a dagger into Arthur's stomach and it was only after the sound had subsided that Merlin realised it had come from him. As Arthur's knees buckled and he sank to the ground Merlin felt anguish explode within him and his magic reacted, bursting out of him without his consent.

The walls of the tower shook as his magic ran through them and his chains loosened slightly, though not enough to allow him to escape. However the gag that had been wrapped tightly around his mouth slipped off and, without any conscious thought, Merlin found himself shouting at Nimueh.

"How could you!" He screamed.

"Now now dear, don't be tiresome." She sighed, "I'm just cleaning up a few loose ends before we leave."

Anger was pouring through Merlin now but a small moan had his attention instantly flickering back to Arthur. The prince was slumped on the floor, his back against the wall, as he clutched at his stomach in agony. Merlin felt instantly sick as he saw the knife still protruding from Arthur and the red stain slowly seeping through Arthur's shirt.

"Arthur!" He cried in despair.

He was fighting frantically against his bonds, trying to get free and reach Arthur. However it was no use, he couldn't break free. This didn't stop him from trying though, he wasn't about to give up now.

Arthur stared down at himself, almost hypnotised by the blood that was welling up over his hands and staining his shirt. He heard Merlin and Nimueh talking but it was faint over the roaring in his ears. His mind still seemed to be trying to process exactly what had happened as he became increasingly lightheaded.

However Merlin's desperate cry of 'Arthur' pierced through the fog that seemed to have surrounded him and he tore his gaze from the blood to focus on the young warlock in front of him. Merlin was struggling against his bonds but the moment their eyes connected Merlin froze, as if he could read something in Arthur's gaze.

For his part Arthur could see everything the warlock was feeling painted across his face. Arthur could see the anger, the fear, the heartbreak as Merlin looked at him. He tried to offer up a smile, no matter how weak, to reassure Merlin that everything was going to be okay. However it became more of a grimace as a fresh wave of pain washed through him, besides which he didn't believe that everything was going to be okay himself.

He had seen injuries like his before and knew that they didn't end well. He could feel the blade inside of him and longed to pull it out, to be free of the sensation of being invaded. However he knew that to pull it out would only make matters worse, allowing more blood to escape and speeding up the inevitable process.

Nimueh however had no qualms against this and she stalked towards him, a smirk twisting her features, bent down and yanked the blade free. Arthur couldn't find the energy to fight her and he let out a loud groan as spots danced in front of his eyes and his vision blurred. He was having trouble focusing through the overwhelming pain that seemed to cloud all his senses but somehow he managed to force his hands to move, to press down on the wound to try and reduce the bleeding.

"No!"

Merlin's cry cut through his haze and Arthur clutched onto it, focusing all his fight onto the warlock. He had to stay alive for Merlin. He couldn't let Merlin's life be ruined by this witch.

"You know it's almost poetic." Nimueh mused, "I was the one who brought you into this world and now I am the one to take you out of it."

Arthur dismissed her words as unimportant as he tried to find a way to save this whole situation. However he couldn't think. There was a fog that was filling his head, pain that was spreading viciously through his body and a low whimpering that had reached his ears. It took a moment to register that the whimpering was coming from him and another to actually make it stop.

A small part of his brain was telling him that maybe he should just let go. He was powerless to change things so why didn't he just let go? His eyelids flickered shut and for one blissful moment he felt himself slip away. He imagined seeing his mother, running into her warm embrace. She would stroke his hair and whisper how brave he had been. And then they would sit together and she would want to know everything. And he would tell her about Camelot, his father, Merlin.

Merlin!

Forcing his eyes back open Arthur fixed his gaze on Merlin's distraught face and knew that he couldn't give up the fight. He was all Merlin had, he had to fight for him. Yes if he died the others would look for him. But Leon and Gwaine had no idea where Merlin was being kept. And even if they did eventually find his cold, lifeless body, Nimueh would have taken Merlin somewhere far away where no one could save him.

His tired mind registered voices and he suddenly realised that Merlin was speaking. He tried to focus on the words, to use them to block out the sensation of his own life trickling over his fingers.

"…you do, I will never stop fighting you. No matter where you take me I will never willingly let you use my magic again. I will spend every moment of everyday trying to get away from you."

Arthur felt a smile tug at his lips at Merlin's words. He knew that, whatever happened, Merlin would never give up. Arthur focused his attention on Merlin and admired the defiant tilt of his chin, the elegant lines of his body and the fiery look in his eyes. Love and desire welled up inside of him as he watched Merlin. The feelings seemed to dull the pain, if only slightly, as he knew he would trade away none of this. He knew that, if given the chance to do it all again, he would still pick up the crystal, even knowing that he would be doomed to death, and use it to find Merlin. He would always choose to spend those few magical days with the warlock.

"But if you let me heal him I promise I will come with you without any complaint. If you let him live I will do whatever you want. I will come with you and everything will go back to how it was."

No hang on, that wasn't right, Arthur thought. Merlin was supposed to be vowing to fight forever, not agreeing to go with her dutifully. Arthur frowned as he realised what Merlin was saying, what he was promising to give up.

"No." Arthur protested weakly, "You can't."

Merlin heard Arthur's protests but he ignored them, focusing all his attention on Nimueh. He knew that he must make a pathetic picture. Bound on the floor, staring imploringly up at the woman he used to consider his mother. He could see her considering his over, her gaze flickering between him and Arthur.

Fighting the urge to look over and check on Arthur, knowing that he'd never be able to look away if he did, Merlin willed her with every fibre of his being to accept. He felt powerless, knowing that everything rested in Nimueh's hands. He believed, hoped really, that the thought of perpetual youth whilst Uther grew old and withered would be more appealing to her than the death of his son who she brought into the world.

Merlin thought she must have some goodwill towards the prince as she helped create him. When she broke into the castle and took him Merlin wagered that she could, just as easily, have taken Arthur's life. That would also have prevented the prophecies from coming true and would have hurt Uther much more. Yet she chose just to take him and raise him instead, that had to mean something.

"As you wish."

Nimueh's words caused Merlin's heart to soar whilst Arthur's sank. Merlin sagged back against his bonds in relief and glanced over at Arthur. The colour had completely drained from his face and his hands were shaking as they still tried to stop the flow of blood. However he was staring straight at Merlin, his eyes wide with horror as he watched Merlin promise away his life.

However he was powerless to do anything as Nimueh strode over to him. Her eyes flashed gold as chains wrapped around his ankles and then attached themselves to the wall.

"So you don't get any idea about following us." She explained, "I'll free you once we are far enough away."

She bent down so her lips were inches from his ear.

"Don't think you've escaped the curse Pendragon, it'll catch up with you one day."

Straightening up she moved away from him and, with a flick of her wrist, Merlin's chains were falling away, freeing the warlock.

He was by Arthur's side in an instant, fumbling at the neck of his shirt to pull out the amulet. Merlin quickly pressed his free hand against Arthur's wound, his heart sinking as he felt the amount of blood that had been lost. He had never healed anything this serious before and prayed that he'd be able to fix him. He tried to smile comfortingly at Arthur as he whispered words of reassurance.

"It's okay; you're going to be fine." Merlin whispered as he moved to grip the amulet more securely.

However he was stopped by Arthur's grip on his wrist. The prince's hand was covered in blood and his movements were weak but that didn't prevent him from trying to stop Merlin.

"No. You can't." He muttered hoarsely.

"Hush." Merlin sighed, "You need to rest. You'll be back to normal soon."

"Merlin you can't do this." Arthur tried to explain, "You can't throw away your life for me."

"I would do anything for you." Merlin said sincerely, "Beside your life is more important than mine."

"Never say that." Arthur demanded weakly, "You deserve so much Merlin."

Arthur sighed and his hand moved slowly from grasping Merlin's wrist to cupping his cheek gently. Gazing into those deep blue eyes Arthur wished he could stay like this forever.

"You're going to be King Arthur. You have so many people relying on you. I would lay down my life a thousand times if it meant you could live." Merlin sighed.

"You deserve to be happy and loved and safe." Arthur replied, his words were starting to slur now as the fog in his head pressed in further but he pushed on, "You shouldn't have to spend your life trapped. You should be able to find happiness."

"I did." Merlin said with a smile, tears welled up in his eyes, starting to blur his vision, "These last few days were the happiest of my life Arthur. I wouldn't trade them for anything."

Arthur smiled weakly. He knew that he was never going to be able to persuade Merlin to leave him like this. However there was no way he was letting the young warlock throw his life away. Making up his mind Arthur moved the hand that was cupping Merlin's cheek to the back of his head. Gripping his messy hair tightly in one hand he pulled Merlin forward, pressing their lips together.

He could feel wetness on his cheeks and taste saltiness mixed in with the kiss and knew that, if he pulled away, tears would be pouring down Merlin's face. If he had the energy Arthur was pretty sure he would be crying too, knowing what was about to happen to him. As it was it was taking all his energy to focus on staying conscious and complete what he knew had to be done.

Distracted by the kiss Merlin didn't notice when Arthur's grip on his hair loosened. Instead he deepened the kiss, pouring all his emotions into it. He knew that he could save Arthur but the thought of never seeing the blonde again afterwards was killing him. However Merlin knew that this was the only thing he could do. The hand gripping the amulet loosened and he grabbed a fistful of Arthur's shirt instead, not wanting to let him go. He was so distracted that he barely registered Arthur's hand moving from the back of his head to trace across his cheek and down his neck. He didn't realise what Arthur was doing until it was too late.

Determination filled Arthur in a way he never thought it would in the build up to his death. But he focused on his task, knowing that he was doing this for Merlin. His hand reached the young warlock's chest and he grabbed hold of the chain that was now resting against it. He pulled back from the kiss, yanking the chain as he did so.

The clasp holding it around Merlin's neck snapped and Arthur found himself holding the chain in his hand as he leant back, resting his head on the wall behind him. Staring into Merlin's eyes Arthur saw them widen as the young warlock realised just what he was planning.

"Arthur no." Merlin whispered, reaching for the amulet.

However Arthur was quicker and, before Merlin had a chance to grab hold of it, he had thrown it. Neither Merlin nor Nimueh were able to react fast enough to prevent Arthur from succeeding and everyone seemed to freeze as the glass amulet collided with the wall, smashing into tiny pieces.


	21. Chapter 21

I'm so sorry this is so late, especially after the cliff-hanger of the last chapter, but I've had the week from hell and haven't been able to get this up. But anyway, enough from me, you're here to read the chapter not listen to me moan. So enjoy. x

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Nimueh had watched Merlin hurry over to the prince with a sort of detached interest. She had quelled all the anger that had risen within her at Merlin's betrayal and was now left with an empty determination. She wondered when exactly she had lost all her fire, her passion. Watching the two boys exchanging words she remembered a time when that would have been her, when she would have done anything to save the ones she loved. But time had blocked off her heart, hardening it to the world, no good ever came of caring that much.

Focusing her attention back on the pair in front of her she grimaced as the prince pulled Merlin into a kiss, slightly disgusted at such a blatant display of affection. However as she turned away she found the image of a kissing couple was stuck behind her eyelids. But it wasn't the two boys in front of her. Instead images of a young Uther kissing his blonde bride on their wedding day flashed through her mind. The complete happiness on Ygraine's face as she gazed lovingly at her new husband, the laughter in her eyes the next day as she told Nimueh every detail of their first night and then the cold blank stare of the young queen as she gazed unseeingly up at the ceiling, the spark of life no longer dancing in her eyes, all flashed across Nimueh's eyelids.

So caught up in these thoughts Nimueh found herself almost transported into the past. If she concentrated hard enough she could almost pretend that she was still in Camelot, still at the court of the king. She remembered the happier times when she had it all, when everything had just seemed to slot into place. And then Uther had ruined it, had destroyed everything she had built for herself.

Nimueh was so lost in the thoughts of her previous life that she didn't notice the prince's actions until it was too late. A cry was torn from her throat as she watched the glass amulet fly through the air towards the wall. Acting on instinct her magic tore out of her in an attempt to stop the inevitable. However it was too late and she was powerless to stop it smashing against the wall.

Time seemed to freeze as the three occupants of the tower stared at the broken glass lying on the floor. A small smile appeared on Arthur's face as he knew that he had succeeded. Now Merlin could be free of Nimueh and able to start his own life properly. Although he knew that his own time was coming to an end somehow Arthur didn't mind. He knew that, as long as Merlin would be free, that he could die in peace.

Merlin on the other hand was staring at the wall in horror. He couldn't believe what Arthur had done. That amulet was the only thing that would save the prince. Although Merlin was quite capable of performing magic the amulet was the only thing that enabled him to heal people. Without it he was powerless to prevent Arthur's life flooding out of him. He knew he should be doing something but all he could focus on was the broken pieces of glass on the floor.

White hot anger flashed through Nimueh as she realised exactly what had happened. As the amulet had broken she had felt the power leaving the glass star and knew that the magic sustaining her would soon follow. She screamed as she felt the energy drain out of her. It felt as if someone was slowly sucking her dry. Pain shot through her as all the years she had fought to keep away slowly came pouring over her all at once.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and froze. She barely recognised the woman staring back at her. Her hair was grey and tangled, her skin wrinkled and pale. Looking down at her hands she saw that they had become gnarled and discoloured.

Whirling around she stared at the two boys huddled on the floor. The rage that she had been supressing for so long burned fresh and new inside of her. Her anger at all she had lost, at Uther for taking it from her, at Merlin for leaving and at the prince for ruining the new life she had made was welling up inside of her and directed solely at Arthur.

"You!" She hissed, "You are going to pay for this!"

She took a step towards the pair, her magic crackling inside of her, eager to escape and hurt him as she had been hurt. However it was Merlin that moved, releasing Arthur and standing up to face her. The determination on his face made her falter for a moment. The look in his eyes was unlike anything she had ever seen in the young warlock's expression.

Merlin stared levelly at Nimueh. Anger was also flooding through him however it wasn't anger for himself; it was anger for all the people she had wronged. For his real family who must have spent all this time wondering what had happened to him, for the king of Camelot who, unbeknown to him, was about to lose his only son, and for Arthur whose life was about to be cut so cruelly short. It never even occurred to Merlin that he should be angry for himself. He just knew that he couldn't let her hurt Arthur any more than he already had.

"Don't challenge me boy." Nimueh spat, "You know how well that ended for you last time."

However Merlin didn't say a word, he just gathered his magic around him, waiting to see what her next move would be.

"Get out of my way Merlin."

"No." Merlin replied, shocked at how calm his voice sounded, "I won't let you hurt him."

"I'm not going to ask you again."

Merlin didn't move a muscle. Nimueh considered her options for a brief moment before settling on a course of action. It wasn't like she needed the boy anymore; he could go the same way as his prince.

She lashed out with her magic, intending to destroy both of them in one move. However her magic was brought up short as it crashed against a wall of magic protecting them. She reeled back in shock as the force of the shield ricocheted through her. Merlin hadn't even moved yet his eyes were burning gold.

"Don't be foolish Merlin, you can't stop me."

However Nimueh didn't sound quite so convinced this time. Merlin was still staring her down with that strange look and suddenly it seemed as if it was no longer Merlin in front of her but Emrys, the all-powerful warlock.

"You shouldn't have tried to kill him." Merlin said slowly.

And then his magic exploded out of him as he was no longer able to keep it in check. Nimueh's eyes widened as she realised the true extent of Merlin's power. But there was nothing she could do as it overwhelmed her.

Merlin watched as, with a flashed of light and a shudder of power, Nimueh crumpled into a heap on the ground. For a moment he just stood there, swaying slightly, as he stared at the remains of the woman he had once considered his mother. He had thought he would feel something, remorse, regret, even maybe relief, but he felt nothing.

A small groan behind him had Merlin instantly turning away from Nimueh and dropping to his knees next to Arthur. The prince was staring at the warlock, his eyes wide. He had just seen Merlin perform an unbelievable feat of magic without even breaking a sweat. There was a brief moment when he feared that Merlin would be unrecognisable. However when the young warlock turned around his eyes were full of the concern and fear that they had been when he had turned away. He was still his Merlin.

Frantically Merlin had dropped beside him and was once again pressing his hands to Arthur's wound, trying to slow the bleeding. But Arthur knew that it was futile, that there was nothing Merlin could do.

"Why?" Merlin was whispering, "Why did you do that?"

"I couldn't let you go with her; I couldn't let you throw your life away."

Desperately Merlin was searching inside himself, trying to release the magic that would heal Arthur. Although he could still feel his magic inside of him, thrumming gently beneath his skin, he couldn't access the part that would heal Arthur. He let out a small cry of frustration as he realised it was futile. Fresh tears were pouring down his face as the inevitable sank in.

"Hush." Arthur whispered, "It's okay."

"It's not." Merlin replied, pressing his forehead to Arthur's, "I'm so sorry."

"This isn't your fault. I would trade meeting you for anything." Arthur promised.

"I love you." Merlin whispered breathlessly.

"I love you too." Arthur replied, "I always have."

Merlin pulled Arthur as close to him as possible, almost wishing he could pull Arthur inside of him and carry him with him forever. Arthur was trembling now but he weakly wrapped his arms around Merlin, holding him as if he'd never let him go. They stayed like that for a moment, both wishing they could stay there forever.

Merlin felt the moment Arthur went limp in his arms. The young warlock shuddered as grief and pain flooded through him. This couldn't be happening, Arthur couldn't really be gone.

"No, no, no."

He heard the words echoing around him and only vaguely registered that he was saying them. Forcing himself to find the courage Merlin slowly released Arthur, laying him gently on the ground. The blonde's eyes were closed and he looked so peaceful, almost as if he was sleeping rather than dead.

"Please no." Merlin whispered, "Don't go, don't leave me!"

Pain was flooding through him as if he was the one that had been stabbed, not Arthur. His breaths were coming in short sharp pants and he could feel his whole body trembling in denial. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't really be gone.

"_Ágíeman se__sceþne. Edhwierft se æfterield_."

Merlin spoke the words that should have healed him, however nothing happened. There was no response from his magic, no familiar burning in the back of his eyes, nothing.

"_Ágíeman se__sceþne! Edhwierft se æfterield! Ágíeman se__sceþne! Edhwierft se æfterield!_"

No matter how many times he cried out the words there was still no response. Arthur remained unmoving on the floor in front of him. Unable to stop it Merlin's magic burst angrily out of him, shuddering through the tower. Tables moved of their own accord, the fire burst viciously into life and books stared ripping themselves apart.

Merlin sat in the middle of the destruction staring at Arthur's lifeless body. He didn't know what he was going to do now. Everything that he was, everything that he had become revolved around Arthur. Without him it seemed like he was nothing. For the first time in his life Merlin was truly alone, and the thought petrified him.

Suddenly exhaustion crept upon him. His magic had calmed but the effects of its rampage and his attack on Nimueh had caught up with him and he felt weariness settling in his bones. His eyelids drooped and Merlin could find no reason to fight it, it's not like there was anything worth staying awake for. He collapsed on top of Arthur, unable to muster the energy to move anywhere else. His final thought before he fell asleep was of the prince.

The moment he lost himself to unconsciousness his magic started to react. The burning desire running through him to save Arthur awakened something inside of him and his subconscious worked to unlock the skills he'd had all along but been unable to access without assistance. Slowly his magic moved through him into the prince, working to restore what had once been.

x-x-x

"Merlin?"

Merlin's eyes shot open at the sound of his name and he found himself gazing into an achingly familiar blue pair. For a moment Merlin thought he was dreaming. The sunlight flooded through the window, highlighting blonde hair and making the man beneath him look like an angel. His dreams had all been full of images like this and he was unwilling to believe that this wasn't just something else his mind had conjured to try and stem the agony.

"Merlin?"

Though there was something real about this image, something that his mind had never quite been able to reproduce. Merlin slowly pushed himself up on his hands before reaching out with one of them to touch his face. Feeling the warm skin beneath his fingertips Merlin gasped and pulled back, faced with the evidence that this was in fact not a dream.

"Arthur?" He asked slowly.

Arthur smiled up at him, his whole face glowing with excitement.

"The very same." The blonde replied.

The widest grin Arthur had ever seen burst across Merlin's face as he realised that it was true, that Arthur really wasn't dead. He dove forward, burrowing his face into Arthur's neck. He inhaled the sent that could only belong to the blonde prince and sighed contentedly.

"What happened? How are you here?" He asked, still in shock, "I mean you were dead!"

"I presume your magic found a way to bring me back." Arthur smiled, "You're not the all-powerful Emrys for nothing."

"And it's really you? You're really here?"

Merlin had to ask because there was a part of him that still didn't quite believe it was true.

"I'm really here Merlin." Arthur reassured him, "I'm not going anywhere."

At that Merlin moved to press his lips against Arthur's catching the prince by surprise. But he responded swiftly and they both poured their longing and anguish into the kiss. It was sloppy and frantic but it was what they needed to reassure each other that they were both really here, that they were really together and safe.

"You prat." Merlin said suddenly pulling back, "Why couldn't you have let me heal you before you broke the amulet? It would have saved us both a lot of heartache."

"I couldn't let you throw your life away idiot." Arthur explained.

"I would have." Merlin replied adamantly, "For you."

"Well I intend to have you spend the rest of your life with me so I forbid you from throwing it away at all." Arthur commanded loftily.

Merlin smiled fondly at Arthur before responding by connecting his lips with Arthur's once again.

* * *

Look no cliff-hanger this time! :D After this there is just going to be the epilogue to tie up any loose ends which will be up next week. I can't believe we've almost reached the end of this! Thank you so much to all you amazing people who have stayed with me this far. As always I would love to know what you think.


	22. Epilogue

I realise that there is nothing I can say to really make up for the massive delay for this chapter and for that I'm sorry. I can't believe it's been over a month since I promised you this! Thank you all for waiting and especially those who sent me messages encouraging me to get this up. All I can say is that I've just started uni so everything has been majorly busy and I haven't really had time to get this done. I meant to have this completed before I went so I didn't leave you all hanging but packing kinda took over and so I didn't get a chance to.

Thank you to anyone still reading this and I really hope it is worth the wait. This is the final chapter so I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read this and to all you amazing people who have reviewed, I seriously think you are the best group of reviewers I have ever had! Your kind words have certainly helped me through a lot. Anyway I'll stop waffling now and let you get on to what you've been waiting for. Enjoy. x

* * *

Epilogue

Arthur and Merlin stood outside the gates of Camelot once again. However this time they weren't a lost boy and a runaway prince. Instead the King and his sorcerer stood proud and tall as they watched the people filing into the city for the annual celebrations. The ceremony for the lost Emrys had soon been replaced by a celebration of the day of his return and people gathered from far and wide to see the all-powerful Emrys and the Once and Future King.

Merlin tore his gaze away from the city to look at the man next to him. They had grown so much over the years but Merlin still saw the golden angel that had brought him here every time he looked at Arthur. Living in the tower Merlin had always felt like there was something missing, as if he didn't quite fit right into the life he was living. But now he was here, in Camelot with Arthur, that feeling had left and never returned.

Thinking back Merlin remembered the events that had brought them to where they are now. Remembered that fateful day in the tower when he thought he had lost Arthur forever and the events that had followed. To this day he wasn't entirely sure how they made it back to Camelot. Exhaustion had taken over as his body reacted to the vast amount of magic he had used. Killing Nimueh and bringing Arthur back had taken a lot out of him and an uncomfortable ache had settled in all his bones as his body tried to recharge.

Arthur hadn't been in a much better state. He had pushed his body to its limit during the journey he had made to try and get to Merlin on time. On top of that being brought back from the dead had come with a price. His muscles had screamed in protest every time he moved and his head had felt foggy for days.

However they managed to make it back to Camelot in one piece and the shocked looks that they were given as they walked through the town was tantamount to how little people had expected the prince to return. However, in true Pendragon style, Arthur had ignored all of this, steering Merlin through the crowds and informing a couple of his knights to fetch his father, Hunith and Balinor and direct them to the throne room.

A rush of excitement had flooded through Merlin as he had entered the city once again, this time not having to hide from anyone, however the moment Arthur led him into the castle it had faded away to be replaced with fear. His stomach clenched with nerves as he realised that this was it, he was about to meet his real family.

The fear had completely overwhelmed him as they eventually reached the throne room and he froze outside, unable to take the final step inside. Arthur had turned to look at him with a frown, completely oblivious to Merlin's internal turmoil.

"What if it's all a mistake?" Merlin had whispered softly, "What if I'm not really their son?"

"There is no mistake Merlin I promise you." Arthur tried to reassure him, "And anyway even if there was I'm not going to throw you out on the streets. Your life is here now, this is where you belong."

Merlin had stared up into Arthur's eyes; longing to believe what he said was true. He knew that Arthur was speaking the truth, that he wouldn't just abandon him, but deep down inside his insecurities were coming to the surface and he feared being left on his own.

However the look on Arthur's face had told him everything he needed to know and, even if it hadn't, Merlin felt he would probably follow Arthur to the end of the world if he asked him to. He had known that it didn't matter what happened in that room, his place was always by Arthur's side.

"Okay." He had replied, taking a deep breath, "I'm ready."

Arthur had smiled reassuringly before leading the way into the room. This hadn't managed to calm the butterflies in Merlin's stomach however and he followed the prince through the door with trepidation. He kept as close as he could behind Arthur, wanting to be able to reassure himself that the blonde was still there.

However as he entered the room he was distracted from his nerves by the vastness in front of him. The room was bigger than anything he had ever seen, the tall ceiling towered above him and the room seemed to stretch on forever. The ornate decorations hanging on the wall were so lavishly designed that Merlin wondered just how much they had cost. The high arching windows loomed over him as he walked forward, highlighting the magnificent view of Camelot through them.

So awed by his surrounding Merlin barely noticed the other people in the room. It wasn't until he heard movement at the other end of the room that the young warlock's attention turned to focus on the three figures stood by the throne.

Although Merlin had never met any of them before it wasn't hard for him to work out that the imposing figure on the left was Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot. Merlin could see the resemblances between him and Arthur as plain as day and knew that the prince took after his father much more than he realised.

However it was the other two figures that captured Merlin's attention. As his gaze settled on the woman in front of him all the air seemed to leave his body and he gasped as if he had just been punched in the stomach. For he recognised the woman instantly. She had continuously appeared in his dreams, though until this moment he had never remembered that whilst awake, and he instantly felt the connection drawing him to her.

The tall man next to her had his arm around her waist and staring at him felt so familiar to Merlin. Although there were notable differences between them, his colouring and build matched the woman's far more than this tall broad man, it was his own bright blue eyes that Merlin could see staring back at him from the face of this man. And suddenly he was transported back to the image he had seen in the tower. The couple in front of him were staring down to where he lay in a cot, smiling lovingly at him.

And any doubts that Merlin had had before now vanished. Deep down inside some primal connection was calling to him, telling him everything his mind had doubted before now. These were his parents, his real family.

A wave of fear crashed over him as he realised that they may not come to the same conclusion he had. Although he remembered them as they were when he was a child they had barely changed. Time had taken its toll, as it was prone to do, and they looked wearier and much more burdened than the carefree couple he remembered, however it was clear they were the same people. Yet he was no longer the cute little baby that they had lost. Eighteen years had passed since the day he was taken and he wondered if they would be able to tell who he was.

The woman looked up from where she had clearly been lost in thought and spotted the pair making their way towards them. A timid smile graced Merlin's features however her attention was entirely focused on Arthur. A relieved smile broke out across her face and she hurried towards him with a cry of delight.

"Arthur!"

The prince almost staggered backwards as the woman threw her arms around him, pulling him in for a tight hug. Merlin stopped and, as he watched the sight in front of him, he felt something clench tightly around his heart. He had never had anyone show that level of affection towards him. Although Nimueh had been kind to him she had never really been big on displays of affection and Merlin longed to have someone look that relieved that he was safe. Also another seed of doubt was inching its way into his mind. What if they didn't want him anymore? He could see that the woman clearly cared deeply for Arthur, what if she no longer cared for the son she had lost?

She had closed her eyes as she pulled Arthur into the hug, leaning her cheek against his. However now her eyes opened and she looked at Merlin over Arthur's shoulder for the first time. A small gasp of shock tore from her lips and her eyes widened as they landed on Merlin. She pulled back from Arthur's embrace, her eyes never leaving Merlin.

The young warlock could read the shock written all over her face but he didn't know what to do. His mind was working furiously as he tried, and failed, to work out what she was thinking. She took a hesitant step towards him as if she thought he would disappear if she made any sudden movements.

"Merlin?"

The word was barely a whisper but it seemed to echo around Merlin's head as she spoke. Anticipation filled the air around them as they stared at each other for what felt like an age. And suddenly a huge grin spilt across her face as she realised that she wasn't dreaming. Before Merlin could react she had flown towards him and wrapped her arms around him so tightly as if she was afraid he would vanish if she let him go.

"It's you, it's really you." She whispered softly in his ear.

"It is me, mother." Merlin replied instinctively as he wrapped his arms around her.

A million emotions seemed to be flooding through Merlin, overwhelming his senses and making him feel dizzy. Closing his eyes he lost himself in the moment, in this strange yet oddly familiar gesture. He felt wetness on his cheeks and knew that tears were pouring uncontrollably down them. He could hear the woman, his mother he corrected himself, whispering comforting words in his ear and the wetness soaking into his shirt told him that he wasn't the only one shedding tears.

After what felt like forever, yet not nearly long enough, she pulled back to clasp his face in her hands.

Hunith gazed at the son she had lost eighteen years ago, hardly believing that he was truly here. Yet there was no mistaking the dazzling blue of his eyes, a shade she had only ever seen on her husband and only child. The moment she had looked into his eyes she had felt, deep down inside her, that her child had found his way home. All these years she had carried around an ache inside of her that she knew would never go away, an ache for her child. But here he finally was, and suddenly that hole inside of her didn't feel quite so big.

"Oh my precious child you've come back, you're safe." She gasped through her tears, her smile never wavering.

Merlin's smile was just as big yet it faltered slightly as the tall man came to stand behind her. His face was impassive but Merlin could see the turmoil of emotions in his eyes. He placed his hand on his wife's shoulder and she turned to him, though still not releasing her hold on Merlin.

"I told you he would come back to us Balinor." She smiled through her tears.

And then Balinor was smiling too and another pair of arms wrapped themselves around mother and son. Merlin closed his eyes as he melted into his parents embrace and knew that he was well and truly home.

Arthur had moved to stand next to his father as the broken family were reunited. The pair watched as the three of them embraced. Arthur sneaked a look at his father whose eyes were focused on the embracing family.

"So you did find him." Uther spoke suddenly, however he gaze remained focused on the others.

"I did." Arthur confirmed, also looking back at them.

His gaze found Merlin, as it seemed to do a lot since he had met the boy, and the look of pure delight and contentment he saw on the young warlock's face caused a warm glow to settle in his stomach.

"I guess I owe you an apology." Uther's words brought Arthur's attention away from Merlin.

He had never really heard his father even offer to apologise and, although he probably did deserve an apology, it felt weird hearing it come out of his father's mouth.

"It's forgotten." Arthur replied.

The two of them had never been very big on displays of affection and he knew what his father was trying to say without the king needing to speak it aloud. However he was so distracted by his father's conversation that he didn't notice that Hunith had moved away from embracing her son until her arms were once more wrapped around him. He shot his father a startled look only to see him smiling back at him, clearly amused by Arthur's current situation.

"Thank you thank you thank you." Hunith chanted softly in his ear causing Arthur to turn his attention back to her.

Unsure what he was supposed to say to that Arthur patted her gently on the back until she had calmed enough to release him.

After that everything had become a flurry of motion. Merlin barely remembered what had happened next as everything seemed to go so fast. He was introduced to an endless stream of people that he had been sure he would never remember, shown around the castle to rooms that felt so familiar yet he couldn't find any recollection of them when he tried to place them. Gaius, the court physician, had told him that this was perfectly normal and that once he gained his bearings around the castle the strange feeling of Déjà vu would leave.

Eventually Merlin had felt the exhaustion of the past couple of day catching up with him and it was only the strong arms of his father that had kept him from collapsing where he was. Although he wasn't sure how he had gotten there, Merlin had been thankful to wake the next morning in bed with Arthur curled up next to him, one arm thrown possessively over his waist.

Thinking back, if he was honest, there wasn't really much of the next couple of weeks he remembered. Everything seemed to happen in a dazed shock and suddenly it felt like he had lived with his parents and Arthur in Camelot forever. The Le Fay sisters had been dealt with. Morgana had been banished from Camelot, though she and Arthur had parted on much friendlier terms than many had expected. There had been those that thought banishing her would only cause her to eventually return with an army to take over. However both Arthur and Merlin were fairly confident that there was no fear of this, that Morgana was truly sorry for what had happened.

Morgause however was a different matter. Once her betrayal of Camelot had come to light, countless of schemes of hers to destabilise Camelot had been revealed. Uther had no choice but to order her execution as they all knew that there was no way Morgause would stop her campaign whilst she was still alive. The day of her execution was one that Merlin had tried to erase from his mind ever since. There was to be no burning, just a simple beheading in front of a small crowd so there was no way Morgause could make a scene of it. Even then Merlin didn't like to remember the way she had called down hatred upon Camelot even as she had been led to her death. How the axe had swung high before landing with a sickening crunch that had silenced her forever.

However there was one event that stood out more vividly in his mind. It was the day after they had returned to Camelot and they were in Gaius' chambers as he examined both him and Arthur to make sure they hadn't suffered any lasting damage. Arthur had explained everything from his leaving the castle with the Le Fay sisters, till their return the day before with Merlin adding his own side to points. After they had both been given a clean bill of health Uther had asked Gaius about the curse the crystal was supposed to contain. Although Arthur had technically died in the tower he had been brought back so did that mean the curse was still in place?

Gaius hadn't known the answer however Balinor had known someone who would. And that was how they found themselves stood in a small clearing just outside the walls of Camelot waiting for the arrival of Balinor's friend. Merlin stood close of Arthur, Hunith on his other side, as they waited. Suddenly a gust of air blew through the clearing and a large dragon landed gracefully in front of them.

Merlin stared up at the creature in front of him in shock and awe. He had never seen anything like this creature and knew instantly that it was part of an old magic, much more complicated than anything he would ever know.

"I see the future dragonlord has returned." The dragon spoke, his voice echoing around the clearing and, surprisingly, inside Merlin's head, "How small you are young warlock for one with such a great future."

Merlin's brow furrowed in confusion at this but it was Balinor who spoke.

"We have come to seek your advice." He told the great creature.

"Of course you have." He replied rather smugly, "Only I see it is the young prince whom you worry for."

"We need to know about the curse, is Arthur still affected by it?" Balinor questioned, "Is he still doomed to death?"

"Everyone is doomed to die eventually." The dragon replied cryptically, "That is the fate of mortal souls."

"What is that even supposed to mean?" Merlin asked confused.

The dragon turned his attention from Balinor back to Merlin and the young warlock felt a trickle of fear run down his back and the full weight of his penetrating stare was focused upon him. However he held his ground and stared back at the dragon, determined to find out Arthur's fate.

"I'm afraid that is for you to work out young warlock, I cannot give you all the answers." The dragon replied calmly, "But with the great Emrys to watch over him the young prince's chances are better than most."

And with that the dragon had unfurled his wings and set off into the sky. They had all stood watching him disappear, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"Is he always that annoyingly cryptic?" Merlin asked, breaking the silence.

He heard Arthur laugh next to him and leaned closer towards the blonde. Balinor smiled ruefully as he turned his gaze from the sky to his son.

"I'm afraid he is." He replied, "But you'll get plenty of practice at deciphering his riddles."

"So what did that one mean?" Arthur asked confused.

"It meant that curse or no curse we're all going to die; it just depends on who you have watching out for you as to when." Balinor explained with a knowing smile.

x-x-x

Merlin was jolted out of his memories as Arthur slipped a hand into his. The sorcerer turned to smile at his king, once again marvelling that such a wonderful man was truly his.

"What are you thinking about?" Arthur asked.

"When we first met." Merlin replied with a cheeky smile, "And what a prat you were back then."

"Hey you were the one that tied me to a chair!" Arthur exclaimed, "How was I supposed to react?"

Merlin grinned fondly and silenced Arthur's protests by pressing their lips together.

"Come on." Arthur said as they pulled apart, "You wouldn't want to be late to your own celebrations."

"I'm late for everything else; it would hardly be a surprise to anyone." Merlin pointed out as he wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck and kissed him once again.

Even after all this time Merlin was surprised how brand new and exciting being with Arthur always felt. Yet how it also seemed he had been in the blonde's arms forever. Merlin knew, as he had since the moment they had first kissed, that there was nowhere else in the world that he would rather be. That there was no money or land or power worth nearly half as much as the man in front of him. He was Arthur's forever; mind, body and soul.


End file.
